Is IC Markets Legal in Jamaica? Is it Safe?
Reliability is the key criterion for choosing any broker. If you have doubts about the reliability of a company, it is not recommended to work with it. Traders from Jamaica often ask “Is IC Markets safe? Does the company operate legally in the territory of the country, can it be trusted?" Traders Union analysts have prepared a detailed analysis, where we will see whether IC Markets is legal in Jamaica and whether you can work with this broker.
Short summary about the broker IC Markets
IC Markets is a multi-regulated STP/ECN broker that offers trading of 2,250+ instruments on MetaTrader, TradingView and cTrader platforms. Currently, IC Markets provides its services to over 200,000 clients worldwide. The broker processes over 500,000 trades daily and its monthly trading volume is almost $1.4 trillion as of June 2024. It is regulated by CySEC, ASIC, and FSA. The broker was incorporated in 2007 and is constantly developing, improving, and adding new services and products.
| 💰 Account currency: | EUR, USD, GBP, CAD, AUD, HKD, NZD, CHF, SGD, and JPY |
| 🚀 Minimum deposit: | $200 |
| ⚖️ Leverage: | 1:500 (FSA); 1:30 (ASIC and CySEC) |
| 💱 Spread: | Standard: 0.6 pips; Raw Spread, MT4/MT5: 0 pips; Raw Spread, cTrader: 0 pips |
| 🔧 Instruments: | Cryptos and Forex CFDs on indices, commodities, stocks, bonds, and futures |
| 💹 Margin Call / Stop Out: | 50%/100% |
Pros and cons of IC Markets
👍 Advantages of trading with IC Markets:
•Availability of three licenses;
•Wide range of assets;
•Standard and ECN account types for trading on different platforms;
•Mobile apps for Android and iOS-based devices;
•Scalping, hedging, and algorithmic trading are allowed;
•Minimum delay when executing orders and ultra-fast market execution;
•Competitive trading fees;
•Wide choice of social trading and copy trading platforms;
•24/7 support via live chat;
•Demo accounts on MT4, MT5, and cTrader;
•Swap-free accounts are available for Muslim traders.
👎 Disadvantages of IC Markets:
•Education materials available on the website are not very informative or diverse;
•Rebates are available outside Australia and the European Economic Area;
•Not all clients are equally protected since compensation for investment is subject to the trader's country of residence.
What information should a broker disclose?
Only the broker that discloses all legal information can be considered reliable. You need to take notice of this factor when choosing the company.
The official website of the broker should contain the following information:
-
The name of the legal entity.
-
Country of registration.
-
Number of the registration certificate.
-
Legal address, factual addresses of the offices of the broker.
-
License to conduct financial activity.
The information must be published either in a special section on the website of the broker or in the disclaimer. Make sure to check it.
The official website of the broker must also provide internal regulatory documents. Before you start working with a company, review Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, Disclaimer, Risks Notice, and other documents.
Broker regulation
ASIC
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is the official financial regulatory body of Australia. The commission regulates the operation of banks, investment companies, Forex brokers, and participants of exchange and over-the-counter trading.
ASIC is a reputable authority. The license of this regulator is recognized as reliable in the entire world. Brokers with licenses issued by ASIC also operate outside Australia, for example in the EU countries, the UK, Asia, etc.
CYSEC
The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySec) is the financial regulator authority of Cyprus. The regulator has the power to audit companies and issue licenses to conduct financial activities in the territory of the country.
Cyprus is an EU member and therefore the CySec license also allows companies to operate in the entire territory of the EU. Furthermore, the document issued by the regulator is considered reliable beyond the borders of the EU countries.
Is IC Markets legal in Jamaica? Broker’s license
Security (Protection for Investors)
IC Markets includes three legal entities registered in Australia, EU, and Seychelles. They are licensed by local ASIC (ACN: 123 289 109), CySEC (362/18), and FSA (SD018) regulators, respectively. Also, since 2021, IC Markets has been a member of the Financial Commission that resolves disputes between brokers and their clients and compensates the latter with up to €20,000. CySEC has its own compensation fund ICF and pays to clients of bankrupt brokers. Availability of three licenses of key global regulators provides the company with a possibility to offer brokerage services to traders in more than 100 countries.
Moreover, IC Markets partners with Lloyds Bank (London) to cover client losses in case of its insolvency. Each trader is compensated for their account balance and amounts of all open positions, but not more than $1,000,000.
Is IC Markets safe? An Honest Review
👍 Advantages
- Rights and obligations of both the broker and the client are clearly stated in the agreement
- The broker’s clients can file official claims with regulators
- Coverage from Lloyds Bank is available
- Client funds and the company’s capital are held separately
👎 Disadvantages
- Limited leverage up to 1:30 for clients of offices regulated by ASIC and CySEC
- Negative balance protection isn’t available in all countries
Brokers that are similar to IC Markets
In addition to license and reliability, you also need to take notice of the trading conditions of brokers. This is important both for beginners and experienced traders, as the demands of the clients with different experience differ. Traders Union analysts have prepared a comparison table of IC Markets with similar brokers.
Comparison of IC Markets with other Brokers
| IC Markets | RoboForex | Pocket Option | Exness | FxPro | Tickmill | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Trading platform |
MT4, cTrader, MT5, TradingView |
MT4, MT5, R MobileTrader, R StocksTrader, R WebTrader |
Pocket Option, MT5, MT4 |
Exness Trade App (mobile), Exness Terminal (web), MetaTrader5, MetaTrader4 |
MT4, MobileTrading, MT5, cTrader, FxPro Edge |
MT4, MT5, Tickmill Mobile App |
Min deposit |
$200 |
$10 |
$5 |
$10 |
$100 |
$100 |
Leverage |
From 1:1 |
From 1:1 |
From 1:1 |
From 1:1 |
From 1:1 |
From 1:1 |
Trust management |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Accrual of % on the balance |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Spread |
From 0 points |
From 0 points |
From 1.2 point |
From 1 point |
From 0 points |
From 0 points |
Level of margin call / stop out |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Execution of orders |
Market Execution |
Market Execution, Instant Execution |
Market Execution |
Market Execution, Instant Execution |
Market Execution |
Market Execution |
No deposit bonus |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
$30 |
Cent accounts |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
IC Markets Trading Company is a great broker for scalping enthusiasts, automated trading lovers, and beginner traders.
The minimum deposit in RoboForex is $10. Leverage up to 1:2000. Traders choose RoboForex for reliability, favorable trading conditions, minimum spreads, and commission fees. The company is recommended for beginner traders and experienced investors.
Pocket Option offers a wide range of trading instruments and copy trading services. It constantly improves its service quality and expands the list of assets and trading platforms. The broker is suitable even for novice traders without significant capital due to the low initial deposit. Experienced traders who work with CFDs and binary options can also use Pocket Option’s services.
Exness broker is a trusted broker partner that is compliant with all relevant terms. Exness complies with all payment obligations and pays money earned.
FxPro is a reliable broker company that offers market access to all traders, regardless of their level of knowledge and experience. Broker's clients are protected from negative balance; their activities are carried out in comfortable conditions and with competent professional support.
Tickmill is a suitable broker for both professional traders and novices. The company is good for robotic trading as well as for short-term strategies.
Conclusions
Traders Union showed that IC Markets is indeed very reliable and legal in Jamaica. The company holds all necessary licenses to conduct financial activity; it complies with all key requirements of the regulator. Legality of the broker’s operation in the country is one of the key criteria for choosing the company for trading. It is important to take this into consideration, as well as the trading conditions. In this case, we can say that the broker meets all the reliability requirements.
FAQ
Can I work with a broker who does not hold the license?
Trading with a broker without the license involves high risks. The license guarantees that the company performs its obligations. Working with a broker without the license creates a risk of manipulations with quotes, failure to pay, and other schemes.
Where can I complain if a broker with a license violated its obligations?
If a broker allows a violation of the conditions, you can appeal to the authority that issued the license and to the court.
How do I choose the best broker in Jamaica for beginners?
Novice traders need to consider the brokers with licenses issued in Jamaica or other European Union countries, availability of a demo account or cent account, the level of commissions and fees and minimum deposit, as well as educational materials.
Related Articles
Team that worked on the article
Mikhail Vnuchkov joined Traders Union as an author in 2020. He began his professional career as a journalist-observer at a small online financial publication, where he covered global economic events and discussed their impact on the segment of financial investment, including investor income. With five years of experience in finance, Mikhail joined Traders Union team, where he is in charge of forming the pool of latest news for traders, who trade stocks, cryptocurrencies, Forex instruments and fixed income.
Olga Shendetskaya has been a part of the Traders Union team as an author, editor and proofreader since 2017. Since 2020, Shendetskaya has been the assistant chief editor of the website of Traders Union, an international association of traders. She has over 10 years of experience of working with economic and financial texts. In the period of 2017-2020, Olga has worked as a journalist and editor of laftNews news agency, economic and financial news sections. At the moment, Olga is a part of the team of top industry experts involved in creation of educational articles in finance and investment, overseeing their writing and publication on the Traders Union website.