konversi_timezone(23 Apr 2015 13:00, America/New_York, 'full date') Best Forex Brokers For Beginners
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Although there may be numerous guides to choose a forex broker, confusions are inevitable because of the huge number of brokers operate internationally. So, what to look for in a forex broker for beginners?

One of the many things novice traders may get confused about is the topic on what kind of broker is best for them. Although there may be numerous guides to choose forex broker, confusions are inevitable because of the huge number of brokers operate internationally. So, what to look for in a forex broker for beginners? 

 

1. Low Initial Deposit

There are some who said that if you want to succeed then start big. If you ever heard of it, just ignore it. It is true that bigger capital can give you higher power in the market, but it is less likely to increase your trading profitability.

In fact, if you fail to manage an account with small capital, then you will likely lose an account with bigger capital. Therefore, it is better for novice traders to start with small capital and choose brokers that allow a small initial deposit. How low?

Right now, there are even brokers that put no minimal limit for the initial deposit, which means you can start with just a couple of dollars. Still, in order for you to learn money management properly, I would advise a figure around 50-100 USD if you start with a mini account.

 

2. Demo Trading Account

At first glance, you may think that all forex brokers served demo trading accounts aside from live accounts. But actually, some brokers only made demo account available for a limited time; or else, the demo account only available for one trading platform and not on others.

You should know that although practice trading with Metatrader4 can establish your basic trading knowledge and skills, if later you want to trade with other kinds of platforms, then you should practice trading in that platform as well.

Getting used to a certain kind of trading platform can take some time, although it may not as long as the time you will need to learn to trade. For this reason, it is better to choose a broker that provides an unlimited forex demo account.

 

3. Simple Registration

Registering with a broker usually needs several steps that depend on the broker's policy. Beginners usually prefer to trade with a broker that doesn't bother them with complex registration steps or complicated verifications at the beginning of the process.

After all, they would try to trade in the demo accounts first before getting into deep with the broker. The more simple the registration steps, the better it is for beginners.

To open an account with a broker, the main steps should consist only of applying basic data (email address, password, phone number, country of residence, etc.) and email or phone verification. Any more than that would be quite unfriendly for beginners.

 

4. Educational Video or Webinars

In this cyber era, accesses to learn forex trading is abundant. There are many forex-related websites that provide sufficient information and guidance and even mock schools to turn novices into experts.

However, rather than reading, oftentimes it is easier to learn from seeing; or in this case, watching educational videos.

But the actual purpose of choosing brokers who provide educational videos is not this; it is to measure the broker's commitment to see their clients succeeding.

It may be too simplistic, but this method can filter out would-be scams as well because scams are more likely to tempt new traders with astronomical profit instead of realistic warning about the asset's risky nature and train traders to master forex trading.

 

5. Margin Call Feature

Traders may be able to limit losses with the use of stop loss facilities, but there will be times when stop loss is not yet placed or for some reason you choose to trade without it, in which cases it will be good for you if your broker has incorporated margin call feature.

Some may consider it an unnecessary burden to watch out for margin call aside from the overall balance, but for beginners, practice trading in a tight situation is better. Moreover, margin call may be your additional barrier before a total loss attack.

 

6. Responsive Customer Services

Responsive customer services are absolutely necessary for beginners. When you start trading, you will find many confusing terms, either in trading activities itself and in navigating your trading account.

Because of this, responsive customer service must be one of your priorities in choosing a forex broker. Even for experienced traders, good customer service is always welcome. Or else, you will be caught in a labyrinth and end up losing money.

 

7. Negative Balance Protection

One of the most frequently asked questions among beginner traders is is it possible for us to owe money to our broker if we suffer losses beyond our account balance?

Sadly we have to answer that with Yes, it is possible. Some brokers will even chase you to get your money in these cases. But don't worry, you do not always have to pay them back, and some other brokers even have negative balance protection in place.

Negative balance protection refers to the broker's commitment to pardon the negative balance that occurs on market failures. Market failures that inflict major damages are rare, but not without precedence.

If you are a beginner, it can hit you hard. That's why forex brokers with negative balance protection are eventually important for most traders.

 

8. Licenses

The license does not mean that a broker will never cheat you or get into insolvency, but having a license or registered under the umbrella of a bonafide authority is a hallmark of a bonafide broker. At least, it shows their goodwill to protect consumer interest.

In this matter, you should know that not all authorities created equal. At the forefront of the industry, there are US NFA and CFTC, UK FCA, Japan JFSA, and Australian ASIC. European regulators that are linked under MiFID (Markets in Financial Instruments Directive) such as Cyprus CySEC should be quite secure as well.

See also: List of CySEC Regulated Forex Brokers

 

So, What Brokers Are Good for Beginners?

Those eight points concluded my advice on what kind of broker a beginner should look for. It is good if you choose a broker by thinking about which broker will match your chosen trading strategy, but it is better if you choose a broker by considering your status as a beginner first.

Thus, those are some features you should look for. You may think that you will retain your first trading account forever.

However, as your knowledge and skills grow, you probably will look for other brokers with more desirable features than what you thought you need in the beginning.

Considering those features, which are the most suitable forex broker for beginners? Here is some you can consider. Each of them at least fulfills two-thirds of the criteria:

 

FBS

FBS seems to fulfill nearly all the criteria of being the best broker for beginners mentioned above. Firstly, FBS is a multilicensed broker, holding five different regulatory licenses: ASIC, CySEC, FSCA, IFSC, and FCA. This extensive regulation provides a strong foundation of trustworthiness. Additionally, FBS boasts highly responsive customer service, with an impressive 80% client retention rate year after year.

FBS sets an initial deposit requirement of only $1, catering to traders with varying capital levels. Alongside its three other account types (Cent, Standard, and Pro), FBS offers a demo account to facilitate practice and learning. For those transitioning to live trading, the provision of stop-out and negative balance protection features acts as a safeguard against margin calls.

On a daily basis, FBS conducts free webinars featuring experienced and professional traders as speakers, offering valuable insights to its clients. The process of opening an account with FBS is straightforward and efficient, resulting in a daily average of 7,000 new accounts being created on their platform.

In summary, FBS appears to align remarkably well with the outlined criteria for an ideal broker for beginners, making it a compelling choice for traders seeking a supportive and user-friendly trading environment.

 

Exness

Exness is known as a renowned global broker with extensive experience, having been in operation since 2008. In terms of licensing, this broker holds numerous licenses from regulators worldwide, such as FSA (Seychelles), CBCS (Curacao), FSC (BVI), FSCA (South Africa), CMA (Kenya), FCA, CySEC (Cyprus), and ESMA.

The minimum deposit required to start trading with Exness is also quite affordable, although slightly higher than FBS, at $10. To facilitate novice traders, Exness offers a demo account and features like negative balance protection, which can safeguard you from margin calls.

The account opening process at Exness is relatively instant, taking only a few minutes. Exness also provides a mobile app for on-the-go trading. When it comes to educational and research materials, Exness provides excellent in-house content for its clients.

If you encounter any difficulties, you can directly contact Exness' customer support. Exness' customer support is available in 15 languages, including English, French, Korean, Arabic, and more.

Unfortunately, the response is in the form of a bot, not a direct human, so it may not be very helpful if the topic you're inquiring about is not included in the available automated options.

 

XM

Not only Exness but also XM, holds numerous licenses from regulators, including FCA, CySEC, BaFin, CNMV, FSP (New Zealand), ASIC, CONSOB (Italy), IFSC (Belize), and ESMA.

Thanks to its CySEC license, you can enjoy the negative balance protection feature offered by XM. You also don't need to worry about margin calls because XM can protect your balance up to 20,000 euros.

XM is a broker worth considering, especially if you're a novice trader. This is because the minimum deposit required to start trading with XM is very low, only $5.

From the account creation process to deposits and withdrawals, XM offers a quick and easy experience. Additionally, XM provides unlimited demo accounts for all its clients.

Moreover, this broker is particularly committed to hosting regular webinars conducted by experts. XM also excel in their global expansion efforts, ensuring support for clients through various language options, not just on their website but also in customer service. Don't hesitate to reach out to their customer support because they respond quickly and are helpful.

 

OctaFX

Another recommended broker for novice traders is OctaFX. This broker is licensed by CySEC and has been in operation since 2011, with headquarters in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Nigeria.

In terms of deposits, the minimum deposit required to start trading with OctaFX is relatively higher compared to the brokers mentioned above, reaching $25.

However, OctaFX offers excellent demo accounts. In fact, they host a forex demo competition where you can test your trading skills by competing with other traders.

Another reason why this broker is suitable for beginners is that it also provides negative balance protection, a margin call feature, and many deposit bonuses. Their customer service via live chat responds directly, not through a bot, which is a plus point.

Unfortunately, OctaFX does not offer specific webinars or training for beginners. They only provide educational content in the form of articles. However, they do offer a Telegram group that provides news and analytics related to forex trading.

 

FXTM

FXTM is a broker regulated by the FCA of the UK, CySEC, FSCA, FSC Mauritius, and CMA of Kenya. FXTM was initially launched in 2011 with a unique vision to provide unparalleled and superior trading conditions.

Opening an account with FXTM also grants access to advanced educational resources and sophisticated trading tools in the forex industry. Trading with FXTM is beginner-friendly as the minimum deposit required is only $10.

FXTM also provides webinars and educational videos that can be accessed for free. Unfortunately, FXTM does not offer negative balance protection, and their customer support is limited to virtual agents, which may not be very helpful.

 

OANDA

Last but not least, there's OANDA, which is also highly recommended for beginners. This veteran broker holds numerous licenses, including CFTC/NFA, FCA, FSA (Japan), FSC (BVI), Kanto Local Finance Bureau (Japan), MFSA, MAS, and ASIC.

OANDA is recommended because it imposes no minimum deposit requirement, meaning you can start with just $0, which is the lowest among the brokers mentioned above. OANDA also offers negative balance protection and a margin call feature.

In addition, the broker dedicated a whole learning section for newbies who just started familiarizing themselves with their services. There is especially "the classroom" feature that provides insights from their professional trading instructors via premium webinars. Clients need to open a live trading account with OANDA to access the sessions.

One significant drawback of OANDA is that they don't have a live chat customer support feature. So, if you encounter any issues or problems, you'll have to handle them on your own. This limitation can certainly have a significant impact.

 

Of course, this is just a raw suggestion. Considering the huge number of brokers out there, there are definitely many others. Take your time and choose carefully. The first step toward success in forex trading is choosing the right broker for you. Also, make sure to avoid scams by recognizing forex broker frauds.


14 Comments

Pablo

Nov 5 2021

When I began trading, it is very difficult to identify the best broker. What I do first is start to build my own trading strategy. So in this case, I have already know what is my needs for trading. Many traders prefer low commission, tight spreads, instant execution in addition to other amazing trading services. I highly recommend Oanda broker, as I have great experience with them.

Carlos

Dec 15 2021

Pablo: Just like you, when I first started trading a few years ago I had a hard time choosing the best broker. But, my friend said, the most important thing is that you know your trading style and how much money you are risking. 

After long seeking, I have decided to pick one broker that most suits me best. It's a XM broker. They provide the best features for me. 

Nini

Jan 5 2023

Thank you for sharing your experience. I think I will try every broker with demo account to find which broker that can suitable for me. because I read your readon to trade with the brokers is different and also all of the traders have different trading style and broker's feature also different between each other. 

Joshua Collins

Apr 11 2022

Is it true that the trading conditions on demo account are very different with the real one? But why do people always say that conditions are made the same between the two?

Sebastián

Apr 13 2022

Joshua Collins: Indeed different, but not much different.

Roberto

Dec 3 2022

Joshua Collin: If you setting the amount and leverage used in the demo account different with your real condition, you will very different between demo and real trading. So it can be said that trading conditions are naturally different from real trading. But if you use the demo account and trade the demo under the same conditions as the real condition, i.e. same money and leverage, it will be the same as the real trade. Was the account demo different from the actual trading? Of course! The only difference is the spreads or commissions you don't pay on the demo account, but when trading on live trading you have to pay commissions or spreads. Otherwise it is the same as the demo account and uses the live charts used by the Market FX Realtime Server.

Scalonni

Jan 5 2023

Joshua Collins: No, in fact the demo account trading conditions are very similar to real trading conditions. What may differ from a demo account is that there are no commissions or spreads. So, Sometimes you feel like you can get more profit from the demo account than the live one, also in the demo account you receives at least $10,000 virtual dollars which you can change. Remember that you can deposit more funds, have more trading freedom, open more positions and hold pending losses for the example. So, main difference between demo account and real account is your fund and the demo account's fund.
Gabriele

Apr 12 2022

The "Negative Balance Protector" feature in my opinion is such a waste. Indirectly, it makes traders not have a sense of losing money completely. It is better for new traders not to choose this feature. Later you will feel unwary and too complacent so you are not careful with your money.

Didier

Jan 5 2023

I disagree. Negative Balance Protector can prevent traders from going into debt with their broker. This way, traders can avoid situations where they go into debt or lose more money than they have deposited. Protecting traders' free money is also very important for brokers. Tools for negative balance protection are Margin Call and Stop His Loss. If the broker has to pay the trader's debt first, imagine that the broker's finances will also be ruined. Hence a win-win solution for both traders and brokers

Faisal Kryeziu

Apr 18 2022

Advice for new traders, the technical matters presented in this article deserve attention. But don't get carried away just by considering things like this. There are many other important things to know about technical trading. Be diligent in learning the demo account.

Ospina

Jan 5 2023

A friend advised me to use a cent account instead of a demo account. What's the difference anyway? And this is suitable for beginners like me. Is it possible to create a live account as some brokers have a hard time finding cent accounts? About demo accounts which brokers above have demo accounts? Thanks in advance

Johnson

Jan 5 2023

Ospina: In my opinion, if you're willing to lose a few bucks, it's up to you to consider the cents, because the loss is in cents too. So it doesn't cost much. However, if you don't want to lose money, use the demo account. A demo account gives you the freedom to explore and find a trading method that works for you. I agree that some brokers may not have a cent account but instead of risking another live account I suggest to have a demo account first since all brokers have a demo account in their feature.
Layla

Jan 10 2024

According to the article, negative balance protection involves a broker's promise to forgive any negative balance resulting from market failures. While significant market failures are infrequent, they are not unheard of.

I'm curious about the specific market failures that have occurred in the forex industry. Are there any notable instances from the past? Additionally, how did traders cope with negative balances during these market failures in the past? I'm hoping to get more insights into this. Thanks!

Utina

Jan 13 2024

Let me answer your question! Market failures in forex can arise from unexpected events like extreme volatility, rapid price movements, or gaps in liquidity. These events may lead to situations where executed trades occur at prices significantly different from the expected or set levels.

Historically, there have been instances of market failures, often associated with major economic events, geopolitical crises, or sudden shifts in market sentiment. For example, the Swiss Franc (CHF) experienced a drastic appreciation in January 2015 when the Swiss National Bank unexpectedly removed its currency peg, causing significant market turmoil. During such events, traders may face challenges, and negative balances can occur if trades are executed at prices far from the expected levels. In cases where brokers offer negative balance protection, they commit to absorbing these losses, ensuring that traders don't owe more than their account balance.