The biggest edge in forex trading compared to other financial markets is margin requirements and leverage. You don’t need a big infusion of capital to begin a career as a forex trader, just the right tools and the right broker. While leverage is important in the forex market, as all trades use it. It's important to know that high leverage can increase both losses and gains. Many forex traders lose money because of leverage.
Benzinga has researched hundreds of brokers to find the best high leverage forex brokers for all types of traders to help you find the broker that best suits your trading, leverage and margin needs.
Quick Look: Best High Leverage Forex Brokers
| Broker | Best for | Max Leverage in the U.S. | Max Leverage Non-US |
| FOREX.com | Best for U.S. Traders and All Around Offerings | 50:1 | 50:1 |
| Plus500 | Best for CFD and Mobile Traders | 1:30 | 1:30 |
| IG | Best For Fast Execution and U.S. Traders | 50:1 | 200:1 |
| AvaTrade | Best for Non-US Residents and Education | Doesn't accept U.S. traders | 400:1 |
| eToro | Best for Copy Trading | Doesn't accept U.S. traders | 400:1 |
| XM Group | Best for Beginner Forex and CFD Traders | Doesn't accept U.S. traders | 1000:1 |
| RoboForex | Best for CFD Traders | Doesn't accept U.S. traders | 1:2000 |
Disclosure: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Table of Contents
- Quick Look: Best High Leverage Forex Brokers
- Best High Leverage Forex Brokers
- 1. Best for U.S. Traders and All Around Offerings: FOREX.com
- 2. Best for CFD and Mobile Traders: Plus500
- 3. Best for Fast Execution, Best for U.S. Traders: IG
- 4. Best for Non-US Residents and Education: AvaTrade
- 5. Best for Copy Trading: eToro
- 6. Best for Beginner Forex and CFD Traders: XM Group
- 7. Best for CFD Traders: RoboForex
- What's Leverage and Margin in Forex Trading?
- United States Limitations
- What to Look for in a High Leverage Forex Broker
- Margin Requirements
- Commissions and Fees
- Support for Trading Software
- Account and Trade Minimums
- Get the Best High Leverage Forex Broker
- Frequently Asked Questions
Best High Leverage Forex Brokers
Benzinga has researched and identified the best high leverage forex brokers on the market today. High leverage in the United States is limited to 50:1, but for international brokers to qualify, they must offer 400:1 leverage for at least a few major pairs. Keep in mind, leverage can vary depending on your region and account type.
1. Best for U.S. Traders and All Around Offerings: FOREX.com
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Best For:
Fast Execution and High-Volume Traders in the U.S
securely through Forex.com's website
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% to 77.7% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
The products and services available to you at FOREX.com will depend on your location and on which of its regulated entities holds your account
FOREX.com has over 80 forex pairs to choose from and you’ll get 50:1 leverage ratio (2% margin) on major pairs EUR/USD, USD/CAD, and EUR/CAD. Most other major pairs rest between 3% and 5% margin. Forex.com offers three different account types: standard, commission and direct market access (DMA). The standard account is spread only, while the commission account lowers spreads but institutes a$5 commission on every 100,000 units.
FOREXX.com supports MetaTrader 4 and NinjaTrader and has its own proprietary trading system available on
Max leverage offered: 50:1
Pros
- 80+ currency pairs
- Up to 1:50 leverage for U.S. clients
- Tight spreads
- Fast execution
- Accepts U.S. and international clients
Cons
- Higher CFD fees
- Lack of educational resources compared to other options
2. Best for CFD and Mobile Traders: Plus500
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Best For:
Forex and CFD Trading for Mobile Users
securely through Plus500 Forex's website
Plus500 Ltd is a popular trading company that has gained over 25 million users in 50 countries since it was founded. It offers a wide range of assets, including crypto, agriculture, metals, forex, interest rates, energy, and equity indices on the futures platform, allowing for diversification of investments.
The company charges commissions for micro, standard, and e-mini contracts, as well as a liquidation fee per contract. There are no fees for deposits, withdrawals, platform usage, routing or accessing Plus500's charts and graphs.
In terms of user experience, Plus500 is known for its user-friendly interface and easy-to-use platform. Plus500 also provides real-time quotes, advanced charting tools, and risk management features to help traders make informed decisions.
Max leverage offered:
- Forex minors: Retail 1:20, Professional 1:300
- Forex majors: Retail 1:30, Professional 1:300
Pros
- Regulated in multiple jurisdictions with different levels of oversight
- User-friendly web-based trading platform is suitable for beginners
- Both the web platform and mobile app offer robust charting and a consistent experience
- 2,800 tradeable symbols available as CFDs, with spreads close to the industry average on major forex pairs. Plus500 also offers CFD option contracts for over 20 popular symbols
Cons
- No MetaTrader 4
- Customer support could be improved
3. Best for Fast Execution, Best for U.S. Traders: IG
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Best For:
Fast Execution for U.S. Traders
securely through IG Markets's website
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
At 50:1 leverage, IG is another broker that allows you to speculate on currencies in the U.S. and across the globe. IG offers high leverage, which you need to increase your gains quickly, but the platform makes the process as simple and profitable for investors as possible by:
Take advantage of the platform’s simplicity and leverage options to diversify your portfolio without investing all your cash at one time.
Max leverage offered: Highest leverage available to U.S. clients is50:1, leverage goes up as high as 400:1 in Switzerland
Pros
- Access to over 80 currency pairs
- Excellent education tools
- Simple deposit and withdrawal methods
- Easy-to-navigate platform that is easy for beginners to master
Cons
- Only U.S. traders can trade forex
- Slow customer service
4. Best for Non-US Residents and Education: AvaTrade
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Best For:
Non U.S. Forex & CFD Traders
securely through AvaTrade's website
AvaTrade carries 7 regulations across 6 continents (Europe, Australia, Japan, British Virgin Islands, UAE
AvaTrade caters to its customers, offering a 24-hour multilingual support desk for a broad range of instruments, platforms
- Forex
- Stocks
- Commodities
- Cryptocurrencies
- Indices
AvaTrade offers desktop, tablet, mobile and web-based trading with MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, its proprietary WebTrader, AvaOptions
Max leverage offered: 400:1, This can vary depending on your jurisdiction and the asset class you are trading
Pros
- 55 currency pairs
- Offers other assets
- Good for CFD trading
- Supports multiple third-party platforms
- Offers advanced trading tools
Cons
- High inactivity fees
- Not available in the U.S.
5. Best for Copy Trading: eToro
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Best For:
Copy Trading
securely through eToro Forex's website
CFD trading is not available to U.S. users. 51% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
eToro specializes in social trading, which is ideal for beginners since you can follow the trades of expert traders with a proven track record. In addition to its world-class social trading network, this broker has excellent educational resources for forex beginners. Their intuitive multi-asset trading and social trading platforms and apps can be used by anyone. Unfortunately, they do not support the MetaTrader 4 and 5 (MT4 and MT5) trading platforms.
Max leverage offered: 400:1
Pros
- Platform is straightforward and user-friendly
- CopyTrader feature that allows new traders to copy the same strategies used by professionals
- Demo account is available
- Advanced trading features in the mobile app
Cons
- No MT4 or MT5
- Customer service is lacking
6. Best for Beginner Forex and CFD Traders: XM Group
Best For:
Beginner Forex and CFD Traders
securely through XM Group's website
Risk Warning: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 72.89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
XM Groupprovides traders like you with over 1,000 trading instruments that will help you diversify and expand your portfolio including forex pairs and CFDs based on stocks,commodities,equity indices,precious metalsand/orenergies.
There’s a powerful mobile app and you can use MT4 or MT5, if you prefer. There’s fast execution, 24/5 customer service in multiple languages and quite a bit of information that you can use to improve your trading decisions.
Leverage offered: Ranges from 1:1 up to 1000:1
Pros
- More than 50 currency pairs
- You can trade many different instruments that have a unique range of underlying assets
- No maintenance fees
- High and flexible leverage offerings
Cons
- Certain types of traders might prefer to see more product offerings
7. Best for CFD Traders: RoboForex
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Best For:
Best for CFDs
securely through RoboForex Forex Broker's website
Based in Belize City, RoboForex is a simple platform that offers amazing benefits for its users. There are more than 1 million people on this platform who represent over 150 countries. RoboForex provides useful tools and resources for traders.
The company’s primary investment product is CopyFX, its proprietary copy-trading system that has been in operation since 2012. CopyFX provides a safe and transparent environment for traders to either share or replicate strategies. It offers plenty of settings for trading flexibility and does not require networking needs such as low ping or VPS to join.
Leverage offered: Leverage up to 1:2000
Pros
- Minimum deposit is only $1
- Tight spreads
- No fee to deposit money
- High leverage options help you multiply your earnings
Cons
- At times, traders may feel as though they could use more instruments to trade
What’s Leverage and Margin in Forex Trading?
Traditional stock brokers in the United States often offer margin trading to their clients. The broker will lend money to the client for additional stock purchases and then make money in interest when the loan is repaid. Margin rates vary, but most online brokers charge clients between 5% and 9% to borrow money, depending on the amount. Why would clients want to borrow money for the stock market from their brokers?
They want to crank up the leverage on trades.
Leverage refers to how much borrowed money is involved in a trade. In most stock brokerages, investors can get 2:1 leverage, which means they need $50 in their account to trade $100 in capital. Obviously, leverage adds risk to any trade. Since you don’t just lose your capital if it goes bad, you owe your broker money.
Excessive leverage has killed many financial firms, including Lehman Brothers and Long Term Capital Management. But when it’s used properly, you can generate tremendous profits with little upfront capital.
In forex trading, leverage can often be as high as 500:1. Since currencies move incrementally compared to stocks, using leverage doesn’t carry the same risks. When trades are measured in fractions of a penny, 500:1 leverage doesn’t seem excessive. Forex brokers use margin requirements to determine how much leverage currency traders can use per trade. This is expressed as a percentage, such as USD/EUR trades that require a 2% margin.
United States Limitations
Forex trading is subject to stricter regulations in the United States than most countries in the world. Europe and Australia have no aversion to leverage as high as 500:1, but U.S. law limits forex brokers to 50:1 leverage.
Additionally, many forex brokers offer contracts for difference (CFDs) on indices, bonds, commodities and even cryptocurrencies. These products are highly speculative and banned entirely in the U.S., which means MetaTrader 5 has practically no uptake.
What to Look for in a High Leverage Forex Broker
Choosing a forex broker depends not only on your trading preferences but also the country you live in. United States forex traders won’t be able to use the highest available leverage or use popular trading programs like MetaTrader 5. When you pick a broker, here are a few things to pay attention to:
Margin Requirements
In the United States, margin requirements are limited to 2% (50:1 leverage). Internationally, you can lever trades up to 500:1 on most major currencies. You don’t need to use high leverage on all trades, but make sure to pick a broker with limits that work for you.
Commissions and Fees
Forex brokers make money in two ways: from commissions or from the spread. Many brokers have spread-only and commission accounts available, and commission accounts get reduced spreads. Brokers have fee charts on their websites. Make sure you understand all charges before you open an account.
Support for Trading Software
Many forex brokers have their own proprietary trading software, but also offer popular platforms like MetaTrader 4 and cTrader. If you like to trade using MT4, make sure the broker you choose supports it!
Account and Trade Minimums
Capital required to open an account varies by the broker, as does the amount needed to complete a trade. Some brokers may have no account minimum, but all will have trade minimums.
Get the Best High Leverage Forex Broker
Forex traders enjoy leverage that makes equity and bond traders weak at the knees. Leverage of 500:1 isn’t uncommon for most forex brokers, but U.S. clients can only get 50:1. Leverage shouldn’t be the only factor when deciding on a forex broker, however.
Consider the trading platforms and currency pairs available when cooking a broker for the foreign exchange market. Along with the costs and fees associated with trading and the capital needed to open an account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q
What happens if I over-leverage?
A
Over-leveraging is going beyond the approved margin equity by creating a negative balance in your account.
Q
Are using high amounts of leverage good with Forex?
A
Leverage increases your buying power and allows you to take advantage of smaller moves. The downside is if the position goes against you, it creates margin calls.
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