CMC Markets Vs. Interactive Brokers - Compare Trustworthiness, Capabilities, Fees and Legitimacy

CMC Markets is a global broker headquartered in the U.K that holds 6 high value financial licenses and offers CFD trading on stocks, etfs, commodities, currencies, bonds and cryptocurrencies.

Interactive Brokers is a global brokerage founded in 1978 that holds 11+ high tier financial licenses and provides discounted electronic trading services in nearly all the globe with access to more than 100,000+ financial instruments.

• Professional high volume traders looking to offset the cost of commissions through larger trades
• Intermediate and professional traders looking for a professional custom platform with customisable layouts

• Seasoned investors looking for a one-stop shop to cover a variety of needs
• Global investors who seek the most reliable discount service available
• Traders from intermediate to advanced level

• ASIC (Australia)
• FCA (UK)
• IIROC (Canada)
• MAS (Singapore)
• BaFin (Germany)

• SEC (United States)
• FINRA (United States)
• FCA (United Kingdom)
• ASIC (Australia)
• IIROC (Canada)
• MNB (Hungary)
• BSE (India)
• CBI (Ireland)
• FSA (Japan)
• CSSF (Luxembourg) CSSF
• MAS (Singapore)

• Comprehensive asset offering with more than 12,000+ tradable assets and the possibility to add data connections to exchanges to add more
• Powerful professional platform with customisable layouts and integrated reuters feed

• High regulation
• Exceptional number of investment instruments (Above 100,000+)
• Competitive discount fees

• High commissions on stocks and ETFs
• Platform is not beginner friendly

• Complicated account opening process
• Platforms are not beginner friendly
• Narrow choice of deposit options (Mostly bank transfers)

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• Valid identity document (Passport, ID Card, etc)
• Valid proof of residence document (Bank statement, utility bills)

All documents must be under the account holder's name.

• Valid identity document (Passport, ID Card, etc)
• Valid proof of residence document (Bank statement, utility bills)

All documents must be under the account holder's name.

• Visa
• Mastercard
• Bank Transfer
• Paypal

• Bank Transfer
• ACH (US only)
• Check (US only)
• Debit Card (US only)
• BPAY (Australia only)

US, JP, SY, ZA, IR.

AF, SY, SO, SD, LY, NG, BI.

After 12 months of inactivity, CMC Markets charges a £10 inactivity fee.

One free withdrawal per month, subsequent are $10 per withdrawal or equivalent

Yes and they vary per share exchange location. For U.S shares, there is a minimum $10 in-and-out commission. 

Commissions depend on market and residency:

• US residents are eligible for zero commission US stock trading. Else, for US stocks it is $0.005/share with a minimum $1 and maximum 1% of the trade value.
• European stocks have €3 minimum and 0.05% trade value.
• Forex commissions are volume based starting at 0.20 basis points of trade value or $2 minimum per trade, and going low as 0.08 basis points and $1.
• Options start at $0.25 per contract and go as low as $0.15 per contract.
• Futures start at $0.85 per contract and go as low as $0.25 per contract