IG is one of the largest providers of leveraged trading services (such as spreadbetting and CFDs) globally. Its stockbroking services are more limited, covering the UK and a handful of other countries, although more markets are occasionally added.
The UK service is notable for offering execution via Direct Market Access (DMA) as well as the more common Retail Service Provider (RSP) model. DMA can be useful to more active traders and the firm is one of only four UK platforms to provide this for retail investors – the others are iDealing, Interactive Brokers, and Saxo Markets.
For international investors, perhaps the most significant aspect of the service is the low FX conversion charge of 0.5% – this compares very well with almost all rivals at present. The account fee is waived if you trade three times per quarter, making it potentially quite cost-effective for regular investors if it covers the markets you want.
| Online trading | Australia, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, UK, USA |
| Telephone trading | As above |
| Typical online | Australia A$10, Europe €10, UK £8, USA US$15 |
| Online details | Australia 0.1% (min A$10;
Europe 0.1% (min €10);
UK 0-2 deals per month £8, 3+ deals per month £3;
USA US$0.02/share (min US$15) with manual currency conversion or 0-2 deals per month £10, 3+ deals per month £0 plus 0.5% currency conversion charge with automatic currency conversion |
| Typical telephone | Australia A$50, Europe €50, UK £40, USA US$50 |
| Telephone details | Australia 0.1% (min A$50), Europe 0.1% (min €50), UK £40, USA US$0.02/share (min US$50) or £50 |
| Account fees and inactivity fees | Dealing account and ISA: £24 per quarter (waived if 3+ trades per quarter) |
| Custody charges for stocks | None |
| Dividend charges | None |
| Corporate action charges | None |
| Currency conversion charges | 0.5% |
| Hold cash in foreign currencies | Yes |
| Currencies allowed | AUD, EUR, GBP, USD |
| Tax-advantaged accounts | ISA |
| Other products and services | CFDs, spreadbetting |
| Minimum account size | None |
| Company location | UK |
| Further information | Go to the IG website |
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