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Forex trading is becoming more and more popular in the fast-growing countries like Nigeria. Here are 10 of the best forex brokers for traders in Nigeria.

Nigeria is a country rich in oil and sometimes known as the door to the African continent. Due to the country's positive economic growth over the past decade, forex trading is becoming increasingly popular for investment and is gaining a lot of attention from the public. No wonder Nigeria has stepped in line with South Africa as a country with the most expansive market for trading in Africa.

In this article, we have made a list of the best forex brokers in Nigeria:

  1. IC Markets: Best for commission-trading.
  2. FXTM: Regulated forex broker with various educational events.
  3. HF Markets: Popular broker with attractive bonus programs.
  4. OctaFX: Best broker for easy deposit and withdrawal.
  5. XM: Best broker with low spreads.
  6. Exness: Great for professional traders.
  7. AvaTrade: Multi-regulated forex broker.
  8. FP Markets: Suitable for advanced traders.
  9. FBS: Popular broker with diverse trading instruments.

Let's look into each brokerage firm and see what they offer for Nigerian traders.

 

1. IC Markets

  • Regulation: FSA, ASIC, CySEC, SCB
  • Local Office in Nigeria: No
  • NGN-based Account: No
  • Demo Account: Yes
  • Local Nigerian Banks for Deposit and Withdrawal: No
  • Languages: English, Thai, Korean, French, Spanish, Russian, Italian, Chinese, Indonesian, German, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Arabic
  • Nigerian-based Customer Support: No
  • Bonuses for Nigerian Traders: None

IC Markets is an Australian ECN broker that is registered under the regulation of ASIC. It prides itself on being a true ECN broker with cutting-edge technology. Nigerian traders in particular are registered under the regulation of FSA of Seychelles with Securities Dealer's license number of SD018. This broker prides itself on being a true ECN broker with low commissions from $3 in the Raw Spread account.

The clients' funds are kept in segregated fund accounts at Australian Banks: National Australian Bank (NAB), and Westpac Banking Corporation. This means that they keep the clients' funds separate from the company's funds so they won't be used for the company's purposes. It does not accept deposits and withdrawals through local Nigerian banks, but clients can use other payment methods such as credit/debit cards, bank wire transfer, and e-wallets.

IC Markets supports MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and cTrader. The platforms, commissions, and spreads depend on which account type you choose, so make sure to check which type would suit your trading style. But even so, IC Markets provide a great trading environment for any trader, especially when it comes to spreads and trading fees. The broker offers low spreads on major and exotic currency pairs and charges low commissions.

 

2. FXTM

  • Regulation: FCA, CySEC, FSC, FSCA, CMA
  • Local Office in Nigeria: Yes
  • NGN-based Account: Yes
  • Demo Account: Yes
  • Local Nigerian Banks for Deposit and Withdrawal: Yes
  • Languages: English, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Czech, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Polish, Spanish, Italian, Korean, Malaysian, Russian, Thai, Vietnamese, Persian, Urdu
  • Nigerian-based Customer Support: Yes
  • Bonuses for Nigerian Traders: Yes

FXTM or ForexTime is a global forex broker that was established in 2011. It is considered one of the best forex brokers in Nigeria and one of the few that actually has a local office and phone number in the country. FXTM also has a local training center in Lagos and Port Harcourt. Each year, the broker holds multiple offline and online educational events like seminars and workshops. Its outstanding service has led FXTM to receive no less than 8 awards in Nigeria alone, as well as dozens more worldwide. 

FXTM is regulated by several well-known regulators such as FCA, CySEC, and more. Nigerian traders in particular are under the regulation of the FSC of Mauritius with an Investment Dealer license number C113012295. Over the years, more than 450k Nigerian traders have registered and opened accounts with FXTM.

There are several types of account offered by FXTM, all of them accepts USD or NGN and have very low minimum deposit requirements in the Micro account. For beginners, a free demo account is available as well as various educational materials like webinars.

FXTM supports well-respected trading platforms: MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. Also, the broker offers low spreads across all platforms for most major currency pairs as well as various bonus programs for Nigerian traders such as forex trading contests and refer-a-friend programs. As for deposits and withdrawals, the broker accepts various payment methods, including local Nigerian bank wires with zero commission fees.

 

3. HF Markets

  • Regulation: FCA, DFSA, FSCA, FSA, CMA    
  • Local Office: Yes
  • NGN-based Account: Yes
  • Demo Account: Yes
  • Local Nigerian Banks for Deposit and Withdrawal: No
  • Languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish
  • Nigerian-based Customer Support: No
  • Bonuses for Nigerian Traders: Yes

If you're looking for a low-cost broker in Nigeria, HF Markets is undoubtedly one of the top choices. For a start, HF Markets is a forex and CFD broker that was founded in 2010 and has a local office in Nigeria. The broker is considered a highly regulated broker with acquired licenses from FCA, FSCA, and CySEC. Apart from forex currency pairs, the broker offers 100+ CFDs on crypto assets, metals, commodities, and stocks.

In terms of trading fees, HF Markets has some of the best offers in the market. There are 5 account types that you can choose, all of them are spread-only (commission-free) except the commission-based Zero account. Bear in mind that those amounts may vary depending on the market's fluctuations. As a Nigerian trader, you can open an account in Naira (NGN), aside from USD and ZAR. In addition, you can get leverage of up to 1000:1 with a very low minimum deposit of $5. 

Moreover, HF Markets offers the entire MetaTrader series, including MetaTrader 4 and 5 which can be accessed from desktop, Android, and iOS. The desktop version in particular supports an automated trading system known as Expert Advisors. Lastly, HF Markets offers a number of bonuses that are available to traders in Nigeria as well, such as the 100% Supercharged Credit, 100% Supercharged Rebate, and more.

 

4. OctaFX

  • Regulation: SVG FSA and CySEC
  • Local Office in Nigeria:  Yes
  • NGN-based Account: No
  • Demo Account: Yes
  • Local Nigerian Banks for Deposit and Withdrawal: Yes
  • Languages: English, Malaysian, Spanish, German, Hindi, Bangla, Thai, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified)
  • Nigerian-based Customer Support: No
  • Bonuses for Nigerian Traders: Yes

OctaFX is another forex broker that accepts Nigerian traders. The broker was established in 2011. Compared to other brokers, OctaFX has relatively limited trading instruments of only 28 currency pairs, and CFD trading on metals, indices, energies, and cryptocurrencies. However, we should note that the broker has a competitive spread, especially for traders looking to trade major currency pairs, gold CFDs, and crypto CFDs against USD.

OctaFX is regulated by two regulators, namely SVGFSA and CySEC. Nigerian traders are under the regulation of SVGFSA with the license number 19776 IBC 2011. The broker has a local office in Port Harcourt. There are two account choices for Nigerian traders, namely the OctaFX MT4 Habitual Trader Account and the OctaFX MT4 Smart Trader Account. Each of these accounts accommodates a different type of traders based on their strategy, capabilities, and style.

OctaFX trading condition generally supports many trading strategies, including scalping, hedging, and copy trading. The customer support is very responsive in handling issues and complaints. The live chat support is available five days a week, while the email support is available 24/7. They also have WhatsApp text support for traders, but unfortunately, they still don't have a Nigerian number.

In terms of funding methods, OctaFX is now working with local Nigerian banks and accepting Nigerian Naira for deposit and withdrawal. Nigerian traders can easily deposit or withdraw any amount starting from 2000 NGN directly via Guaranty Trust (GT) bank online transfer, via ATMs, or in cash at the bank. You can also get various bonuses such as the 50% deposit bonus, which can be quite beneficial for new clients.

 

5. XM

  • Regulation: ASIC, IFSC, DFSA, CySEC
  • Local Office in Nigeria:  No
  • NGN-based Account: No
  • Demo Account: Yes
  • Local Nigerian Banks for Deposit and Withdrawal: No
  • Languages: English, Malaysian, Indonesian, Korean, Russian, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Polish, Hindi, Arabic, Portuguese, Czech, Slovanian, Bulgarian, Romanian, Urdu, Thai, Nepali, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Cebuano, Serbian
  • Nigerian-based Customer Support: No
  • Bonuses for Nigerian Traders: Yes

XM broker is a part of the Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd which was established in 2009 and has been regulated by CySEC and ASIC Australia. Nigerian traders are under the regulation of IFSC of Belize with license number 000261/158 as legal entity XM Global Limited.  XM offers no less than 55 forex currency pairs and more than 350 CFD instruments on their platform. The broker has negative balance protection and customer support available 24/7.

The EUR/USD spread can go as low as 0.8 pips, which is probably one of the lowest in the industry. Demo and Islamic accounts are also available across the board. Conveniently, no commission will be charged for any trading account. In terms of bonus programs, new traders in Nigeria may benefit from the 20% welcome bonus of up to $500.

One of the notable features in XM is the no requotes policy. Around 99.53% of orders in XM are executed in under a second and are guaranteed to get no requotes, so instant execution is definitely possible here. XM also offers free research tools through its own in-house team of analysts. The interface is quite user-friendly and available across many devices, including PC, mobile, and web. For trading education, you can enjoy live web seminars as well as free training programs to help you improve your trading skills even more.

 

6. Exness

  • Regulation: FSCA, CMA, BVI FSC, FSC, FSA
  • Local Office in Nigeria: No
  • NGN-based Account: Yes, except for Standard Cent Account
  • Demo Account: Yes
  • Local Nigerian Banks for Deposit and Withdrawal: Yes
  • Languages: English, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Thai, French, Urdu, Bengali, Hindi, Vietnamese, Korean, Spanish, Arabic
  • Nigerian-based Customer Support: No
  • Bonuses for Nigerian Traders: None

Exness is the brand name for Nymstar Limited, a global brokerage firm that is regulated by the FSA (Seychelles) and Vlerizo (Pty) Ltd, a financial service provider that is authorized by the FSCA (South Africa). Nigerian traders are under the regulation of the FSA of Seychelles with license number SD025 and registration number 8423606-1 with legal entity Exness (SC) Ltd. 

The broker offers no less than 200 financial CFD instruments including forex currency pairs, shares, indices, energies, metals, and cryptos. Exness has also provided three types of professional accounts, making them favorable for experienced traders.

In addition, the broker offers up-to-date financial news and technical analysis charts to help traders with their trades. The customer support is also commendable as it opens 24x5 in eight languages and 24x7 in three languages. When it comes to deposit and withdrawal for Nigerian traders, Exness offers several convenient options including local online bank transfer, Neosurf (voucher), and QR payment. Thus, you can fund your account with ease, anytime you want.

 

7. AvaTrade

  • Regulation: ASIC, FSCA, CBI, BVI FSC, CySEC, JFSA
  • Local Office in Nigeria: No
  • NGN-based Account: No
  • Demo Account: Yes
  • Local Nigerian Banks for Deposit and Withdrawal: No
  • Languages: English, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Turkish, Thai, Slovakian, Russian, Portuguese, Polish, German, Hungarian, French
  • Nigerian-based Customer Support: Yes
  • Bonuses for Nigerian Traders: Yes

AvaTrade is a well-known global broker and one of the top recommendations in Nigeria. The broker is authorized by the FSCA (South Africa) and ASIC (Australia). Nigerian traders are under the regulation of the BVI FSA with license number SIBA/L/13/1049 and legal entity Ava Trade Markets Ltd.

Although AvaTrade still has no local office in Nigeria in particular, the European broker is widely recognized almost everywhere and has offices in many countries across the globe. They do, however, have a Nigerian phone number for customer support, but the phone and English language chat are only available during their business hours.

AvaTrade uses a fixed spread system, so the amount will remain the same regardless of the market conditions or the time of the day you are trading. They give 0.9 pips spread for EUR/USD and the rest are generally quite low too. For deposits and withdrawals, AvaTrade charges zero fees. In addition, registering with this broker allows an opportunity to get the 20% welcome bonus.

Through the broker's intuitive and simple interface, traders can easily navigate the trading platform. There's also specialized educational content for beginners, as well as multiple trading software like MetaTrader 4 and AvaTradeGo which is an in-house platform. You can also copy trades of experienced traders with automated trading software like ZuluTrade or MQL5.

 

8. FP Markets

  • Regulation: ASIC, FSCA, CySEC
  • Local Office in Nigeria: No
  • NGN-based Account: No
  • Demo Account: Yes
  • Local Nigerian Banks for Deposit and Withdrawal: No
  • Languages: English, Arabic, German, Portuguese, Viatnemese, Indonesian, French, Malaysian, Italian, Russian
  • Nigerian-based Customer Support: No
  • Bonuses for Nigerian Traders: None

FP Markets is a globally recognized forex and CFD broker that has won over 40 industry awards. The broker was founded in 2008 and is regulated by ASIC. In this broker, you can trade on more than 10,000 markets covering forex, cryptos, metals, shares, commodities, and indices. For additional security, FP Markets offers negative balance protection and uses a segregated account for clients' funds.

This broker supports MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 desktop versions, as well as webtrader and mobile applications. For advanced traders, FP Markets specifically prepares an IRESS account that is commission-based and offers a more comprehensive trading package. The account is also typically more suitable for trading in the stock market.

 

9. FBS

  • Regulation: IFSC, ASIC, FSCA, CySEC
  • Local Office in Nigeria: No
  • NGN-based Account: No
  • Demo Account: Yes
  • Local Nigerian Banks for Deposit and Withdrawal: Yes
  • Languages: English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, Malaysian, Vietnamese, French, Italian, Turkish, Korean
  • Nigerian-based Customer Support: No
  • Bonuses for Nigerian Traders: Yes

FBS is the brand name of FBS Markets, which is regulated by the IFSC of Belize and the FSCA. As a well-regulated global CFD broker, FBS offers the ability to trade on multiple assets, including forex (major, minor, and exotic pairs), metals, indices, stocks, energies, and over 35 cryptocurrencies, which is considered quite a large number compared to other brokers.

FBS offers full support for the MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 trading platforms, as well as its proprietary FBS Trader App. In addition, the broker also offers a copy trading platform and a free FBS service for clients that fulfill certain requirements. For Nigerian clients, the broker offers several types of bonuses including the 100% deposit bonus, referral program, and loyalty program.

There are numerous account types to choose from in order to suit all traders with various degrees of expertise. Also, the trading costs are relatively lower than other ECN brokers. Spreads can be fixed at 3 pips (EUR/USD) or floating at 0.8 pips (EUR/USD) and 0.1 (EUR/USD), depending on the account type. Additionally, the customer service is fast and responsive. The deposit and withdrawal methods are also numerous so clients can choose which payment options are the best for their conditions.

 

Forex Trading Difficulties in Nigeria

In general, trading in Nigeria can be considered quite easy to do. Like any other country, you would only need to have a smartphone or computer, a stable internet connection, some funds, and a forex trading account. The issue here is probably regarding the electricity and internet connection. While connections in many urban areas are becoming more stable, some places still have bad internet connection. Therefore, it's best for forex traders in Nigeria to set a hard stop loss when trading to prevent getting significant losses due to lost connectivity.

Regarding legality, please keep in mind that currently there is no local regulator for forex trading in Nigeria. This is mainly because forex trading is still relatively new in the country. As a matter of fact, the country doesn't impose heavy regulations regarding forex trading.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is essentially the official institution that regulates financial markets in Nigeria. It has partnered with the Security and Economic Commission (SEC) to ensure fairness and provide a safe trading environment for Nigerian traders. Unfortunately, CBN is mostly concerned with banks and other financial institutions and pays little attention to online retail trading. Up until now, there is not a single broker that is registered or regulated by the CBN. Instead, most brokers are regulated by various foreign authorities such as FSCA, FCA, ASIC, and others.

Despite the challenges, many forex brokers came up with interesting features to attract Nigerian traders and promote forex trading in the country. One of them is allowing Nigerian clients to open an account with Nigerian Naira (NGN) as the base currency. This feature can be found in FXTM, HF Markets, and more. Some other brokers even offer bonus promotions specifically for Nigerian traders like Forex4you. As a result, forex trading in Nigeria has become way more accessible and affordable for everybody.

 

The Bottom Line

In the fast-growing country of Nigeria, the choice of a broker becomes a crucial thing in forex trading. If you are a Nigerian trader, the first thing that you need to check is whether the broker is safe or not. You must ensure that the broker is registered and well-regulated by at least one top-tier regulator such as the FCA, ASIC, CySEC, or FSCA.

Regulation by a strict authority can save you from unnecessary trouble as it helps to ensure that the brokers follow their rules and frameworks aimed to protect clients. Also, it would be helpful to check the broker's reviews before registering so you can get an idea about the broker's real performance as well as the history of dealing with their clients.