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Offshore Brokers that Accept Debit Cards



Jun 24, 2021  
Debit cards are extremely useful for international transactions and purchases, but not all brokers accept them. Here's the list of offshore brokers that accept debit cards.

Opening an offshore bank account can be pretty familiar to many business players. Most of them want to get benefits, including better privacy protection and access to better banks that are not available in their home area. For similar reasons, many traders also like to use offshore brokers. However, many also doubt the security and legitimacy of offshore brokers.

You might've seen many bad notions regarding the term "offshore" when it comes to the general public. You might recognize it from the news where various mass media reported the "offshore tax havens" issue, which causes scandals such as "the Panama Papers". But in reality, most of them only see the surface of the problem and easily point out that all offshore entities are dangerous and illegal.

Considering all the bad reputation that the media has given to the very idea of everything "offshore", here we're going to start by explaining the truth behind offshore accounts and which offshore brokers are trustworthy.

 

Are Offshore Brokers Safe and Legal?

The answer to the question is yes. It's important to acknowledge that the term "offshore" doesn't mean unregulated or illegal, but it refers to any account located in a different jurisdiction from the country of residence. So, for example, if an American resident opens a bank account at Barclays Bank in the United Kingdom during his trip to London, then it is considered an offshore account. The same logic applies to any pair of countries and not only for banks but also for brokerage companies.

The common narrative about offshore accounts is that people usually use offshore accounts to hide their illegal funds or avoid taxes. Though this can be true at some point, it only applies to a small number of cases. We can't ignore the fact that some of those illegal acts also use domestic accounts. It simply means that both domestic and offshore accounts can be used for good and evil purposes. So it's unfair to only blame offshore accounts for such issues.

Another important thing is that offshore does not necessarily mean tax haven, and tax haven does not necessarily mean illegal. In fact, most offshore activities happen in high-tax areas such as the United States and the United Kingdom (which are definitely not tax havens). Even if the money moves through tax haven areas, most of those businesses are legal and legitimate. Besides, the OECD and international community are starting to impose stricter rules to tax haven areas, including rules for opening accounts and tightening due-diligence requirements.

Therefore, it's safe to say that having an offshore account is 100% legal, whether it's offshore bank accounts or brokerage trading accounts. There may be certain restrictions in non-democratic countries such as North Korea, but it's perfectly legal in most countries.

In some other countries like the US, having an offshore account is not forbidden, but traders must fulfill some mandatory reporting requirements. So if your country does have certain limitations or rules regarding offshore accounts, it's best to consult a tax lawyer or an accountant to make sure you are on the right path.

 

Should We Use Offshore Brokers?

Answering this question can be a little tricky. When it comes to offshore brokers, there are a few things that you must know. First off, not all countries have home-based forex brokers. In this case, you have no choice but to go offshore if you want to trade forex. Even if there are domestic brokers in your country, it's possible to find that their offers are less attractive than leading international brokers.

We can't deny that not all countries have equally good and fully-developed financial industries. Even in many developed countries, you will find it very hard to find an excellent retail forex broker with many benefits such as tight spread, high leverage, etc. It's even more crucial if you're planning to invest a lot of money in forex trading. You would need a highly trusted broker with the best condition that works for you.

Generally speaking, some of the best countries with great domestic forex brokers are the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Switzerland, Denmark, Cyprus, Hong Kong, South Africa, Japan, and Ireland. That being said, the rest of the world may not have good domestic brokers (or any broker at all), so it's completely normal to consider choosing an offshore broker for its lucrative offering.

Also, by using an offshore broker, you can minimize some risks. If you live in a conflict-affected area and only have a domestic account, you will be fully exposed to the financial system of your home country when there's a financial meltdown. Sometimes, local banks also force you to convert your hard currency to local currency, which could potentially devalue later. But with offshore banks, you can protect your money under the jurisdiction of more well-regulated countries. The same principle goes for opening an offshore broker account. 

Yet, trading with offshore brokerages is not without risk. We have mentioned that using an offshore broker means that your money is no longer subject to your country's local jurisdictions. So, if something happens to your assets, your government won't be able to protect you anymore. This is why you must consider where the broker is based in. If the broker's home country has strict rules and is economically and politically stable like the US or the UK, then you're good to go. Also, make sure that the broker is well-regulated to ensure the additional safety of your funds.

 

Forex Trading with Debit Cards

Using debit cards is one way to benefit from offshore brokers. The reason is that you will be able to use your money without any additional expenses. The transaction can also be processed instantly, so the time difference doesn't really matter. This way, you can make online purchases or withdraw cash easily from your local ATM at any time.

Another benefit is having a debit card for international currency such as the US dollar or the Euro. It means you won't have to pay conversion fees when buying stuff online or when going abroad.

Some of the best debit cards for international transactions are Mastercard and Visa. This is important because many local banks don't offer debit cards that can be used internationally, so it's pretty useless to make international purchases. In such conditions, having a Mastercard issued by a solid international forex broker will definitely be more helpful.

Before using debit cards as a payment method for trading, you must know that not all brokers accept them. Here we have summarized 5 of the best ones for you:

 

1. Pepperstone

Pepperstone is one of the leading forex brokers that has been around since 2010. The broker has a good reputation among traders and currently has headquarters in several countries including Australia, China, Kenya, and the United States. Pepperstone is well-regulated by ASIC, BaFin, Capital Markets Authority of Kenya, CySEC, and DFSA.

Apart from the demo account, there are two other account options that you can choose, namely Standard and Razor. To open an account, you need to prepare at least $200. When it comes to payment methods, Pepperstone offers many choices including debit cards, credit cards, Neteller, PayPal, Skrill, wire transfer, BPay, and UnionPay

 

2. HF Markets

HF Markets is a well-known forex broker that was founded in 2010. The broker accepts global clients and has headquarters in Cyprus, Mauritius, Poland, and United Arab Emirates. HF Markets is regulated by several top-tier regulators including CySEC, DFSA, FCA, and many others.

You can choose several payment methods, including a Mastercard debit card for quick access to the money in your account. You can transfer the money from your account to your debit card instantly at no cost. Apart from that, there are also various useful trading tools and other features that would improve your trading experience.

 

3. Forex.com

Forex.com is a leading broker that was established in 1999. The broker has headquarters in several countries including Australia, the United States, and the UK. Forex.com is well-regulated by CFTC/NFA, FCA UK, FSA Japan, and IIROC.

In this broker, you can start with $250 and get maximum leverage of 1:200. Regarding payment methods, Forex.com offers debit cards, credit cards, wire transfers, and SOFORT. The broker accepts clients from across most countries, including the US.

 

4. eToro

eToro is a highly reputable broker since 2007 with headquarters in China, Cyprus, and United Kingdom. The broker is regulated by several famous regulatory bodies such as ASIC, CySEC, FCA, FRN, and FINRA. eToro is well-known for its unique features, such as social trading, copy portfolio, and popular investor program, making it suitable for beginners and professionals.

When it comes to payment methods, there are various options that you can choose including debit cards, credit cards, wire transfer, WebMoney, Neteller, PayPal, Skrill, UnionPay, and Yandex.Money.

 

5. OANDA

OANDA was founded in 1995 and had quite a number of headquarters in many countries like Canada, Germany, Japan, Malta, Poland, Singapore, Switzerland, UAE, UK, and the US. The broker is well-regulated in the US, UK, Japan, Singapore, etc.

With only $1, you can open an account and start trading with maximum leverage of 1:50. As for the payment method, OANDA accepts debit cards, credit cards, Neteller, Skrill, and wire transfers.

 

Bottom Line

To summarize, using offshore brokers is completely legal and safe, as long as we pick a well-regulated broker that complies with the rules. Apart from the various benefits that we can get from offshore brokers, it's also important to acknowledge that there are several risks attached to it. That is why, if you are interested in having an offshore account, it is crucial to do thorough research and financial preparation before investing. It's highly recommended to pick a regulated offshore broker with a good reputation, a good track record, and holds multiple forex licenses to reduce the risk of scams or other illegal activities.