Here you will find our best UK brokers list according to many hours of broker research, testing, analysis and comparison across hundreds of UK brokers. By having all of the best brokers in the UK listed in one place, we aim to make it simple for you to quickly identify the best UK brokers according to your own individual trading needs.
Top 5 Brokers UK
FCA, CFTC, NFA, BaFin, FINMA, ASIC, FMA, MAS, FSA, FSCA, DFSA, JFSA, METI, MAFF
Min $250 Deposit
1974
1:200
We have chosen these as our best brokers in the UK as they are regulated and have passed our strict broker reviews with flying colours. We have awarded them a top broker rating for the online trading services that they provide to traders located in the UK.
How did we choose our best brokers in the UK?
First and foremost, the Trading Brokers review team ensured that the UK broker was regulated and authorised to provide online trading services to traders in the UK. We then conducted many hours of thorough research and analysis into the brokers UK services. From there, we were able to collate what we consider to be amongst the most important factors to consider when choosing the best UK brokers and allocated them an unbiased broker rating based on our findings.
In order for an online broker to make it into our best brokers UK list, they should be regulated and offer top trading conditions, including tight spreads, low commissions and reliable trade execution speeds.
The broker should also have easy to use trading platforms that are compatible with multiple devices along with trading tools and educational resources to assist traders with their daily trading activities.
Other factors that we consider to be important for a broker to make it on to the best brokers UK list include the variety of funding options provided, account types, minimum deposit, customer support and range of trading instruments available to trade online.
Regulation
Any trading broker that is offering services to traders in the UK should be authorised and regulated. Using a regulated broker can give investors some protection that unregulated brokers cannot.
Trading Platforms
The best UK brokers should have a variety of different trading platforms for multiple devices including desktop, web and mobile trading apps. The brokers trading platforms should be user friendly, with plenty of trading tools and advanced functionality for all types of trading strategies.
Trading Instruments
The brokers should provide UK traders with a wide range of trading instruments across multiple asset classes including Forex, Commodities, Cryptocurrency, Stocks, Shares, Indices, Metals, Energies, Options, Bonds, ETFs, CFDs. The more choice that the broker has, the easier it would be to expand your portfolio in the future, should you wish to do so.
Spreads
When you place a trade position with a broker, you will usually need to pay the spread which is the difference between the bid and ask prices at the time of executing your order. In general, the lower the spreads, the cheaper the trading costs can be and the better the prices you may have your trade executed at. Although, this can also be dependent on other factors such as the brokers liquidity, slippage and execution model.
Commission
Many UK brokers will charge a small commission fee for each trade that you place with them. The lower the commission fee per trade, the lower your overall trading costs can be in the long term. Some trading strategies actually depend on low commissions. Thus, the best UK brokers should have the most competitive commissions.
Fees
In addition to the spreads and commissions that brokers may charge, there can be additional fees. These include overnight swap fees, funding fees, platform fees, trading tool fees, educational resource fees, etc. Any other fees charged by the broker should be competitive and transparent to the trader.
Execution Speeds
The execution speed can determine the price your order will be executed at. Instant execution should mean that the order is placed as close to your desired price as possible. The best UK brokers should have rapid execution speeds with minimal slippage so that traders get the best available prices more often than not. Some trading strategies such as scalping are dependent on reliable execution speeds.
Liquidity Providers
The best brokers UK should have top liquidity providers (LPs) with deep liquidity pools so that they can offer competitive bid/ask prices along with reliable trade execution speeds.
Trading Tools
Whilst the trading platforms offered by brokers will usually have more than enough trading tools for the average trader, there are some brokers who offer additional trading tools such as economic calendars, trading calculators, market analysis, trading signals and more. The best brokers in the UK will usually offer some additional trading tools to support traders with their daily trading activities.
Educational Resources
Educational resources can help traders to improve their trading skills and knowledge. They also encourage informed trading. The best brokers will usually offer clients a range of free educational materials such as tutorial videos, trading guides, eBooks, trading glossary, FAQs, webinars and seminars.
Account Types
Trading brokers can have a variety of different account types that are designed to cater to the differing needs of clients. The accounts can vary according to the minimum deposit required, leverage offered, execution type, spreads, commissions, instruments, additional services and more. The best UK brokers should have a selection of account types for different experience levels and trading strategies. Demo accounts can be useful to practice trading online with virtual funds whilst Islamic accounts that comply with Sharia law support Muslim traders.
Account Funding Options
In order to trade online, you will need to be able to deposit and withdraw funds to and from your trading broker account. Brokers can offer a range of different account deposit and withdrawal methods. This will often include bank transfers, credit/debit card and online payment processors such as Skrill, Neteller and PayPal. The best brokers in the UK should have a variety of convenient funding options. It is worth considering the time taken and any fees involved for processing funds.
Customer Support
Most brokers can be reached via telephone, email and live chat. It is worth ensuring that the broker can be reached in a way that is convenient for your needs. The brokers customer support team should be prompt, polite and efficient in their responses to all clients general and technical questions. You may wish to consider if there is any different between your time zone and the brokers support hours, as this could have an impact on response times.
Best Forex Brokers UK
Here you will find our best UK forex brokers list based on our findings from thousands of hours of extensive research, testing and in-depth analysis across the many forex brokers providing online trading services to forex traders in the UK and across the globe. We aim to make it quick and easy for users to identify the best forex brokers in the UK by having them all listed in one place.
To make it into our list of the best forex brokers UK, each broker must be authorised and regulated to accept forex traders in the UK.
In addition to this, the broker should have some educational resources to help traders improve their trading knowledge and skills, a range of useful trading tools, various account types, multiple account funding options and excellent customer support.
We have compiled a list of our best UK forex brokers below.
Top 5 Forex Brokers UK
FCA, CFTC, NFA, BaFin, FINMA, ASIC, FMA, MAS, FSA, FSCA, DFSA, JFSA, METI, MAFF
Min $250 Deposit
1974
1:200
We have chosen these as our best forex brokers in the UK as they are regulated and have passed our strict forex broker reviews with flying colours. We have awarded them a top broker rating for the online forex trading services that they provide to forex traders located in the UK and across the globe.
How did we choose our best forex brokers in the UK?
First and foremost, the Trading Brokers team checked that the forex broker was regulated and authorised to offer forex trading to UK traders. We then conducted hundreds of hours of detailed research and analysis into the brokers online trading services. From there, we were able to collate what we consider to be the most important information to consider when choosing a UK forex broker and allocated them an unbiased broker rating based on our findings. Some of the the things we considered when choosing our best forex brokers included:
- Regulation: A UK forex broker should be authorised and regulated to offer forex trading in the UK.
- Trading Platforms: The forex broker should provide the best trading platforms that are suitable for traders of all experience levels and can be used across desktop, web and mobile devices.
- Trading Instruments: There should be a good selection of major, minor and exotic forex currency pairs for trading online.
- Spreads: The forex brokers spreads should be competitive, the lower the better.
- Commission: The commission for entering/exiting positions should be competitive, the lower the better.
- Fees: Any other fees should also be competitive and made clear to the trader.
- Execution Speeds: Trades should have reliable and fast execution speeds, with minimal slippage.
- Liquidity Providers: The forex broker should have top liquidity providers (LPs) with deep liquidity pools so that they can offer competitive bid/ask prices and execution speeds.
- Trading Tools: The more trading tools they provide to assist traders, the better. This can include tools for market analysis, trading signals, placing/managing orders, planning trades, etc.
- Educational Resources: There should be a good selection of educational materials to help assist new traders to improve their trading skills and knowledge. This can include video tutorials, trading guides, webinars, etc.
- Account Types: The forex broker should offer a variety of different account types suitable for varying client investment sizes and account requirements.
- Account Funding Options: There should be a variety of convenient account deposit and withdrawal methods.
- Customer Support: The forex brokers customer support team should be prompt, polite and efficient in their responses to all clients general and technical questions.
UK forex broker regulation
Forex trading involves the buying and selling of currencies and is very popular in the United Kingdom. Due to the increasing popularity of forex trading, there are new forex brokers in the UK opening all the time. This can make it difficult to choose the best UK forex broker according to your individual requirements. We believe one of the most important factors to consider is that a forex broker providing services to clients in the UK is authorised and regulated to offer forex trading in the UK.
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is an independent public body that regulates the financial services industry in the United Kingdom. Its role is to help protect consumers, keeping the industry stable, and promoting healthy competition between financial service providers.
The FCA was established from the Financial Services Act 2012 replacing the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Its purpose was to create a new regulatory framework for financial services, including forex brokers. The FCA is funded through charging fees to members of the financial services industry. It is, however, still accountable to the Treasury and to Parliament.
The FCA has the power to regulate how financial products are marketed and to set minimum standards and requirements on products that firms offer. They also have the power to investigate financial organisations and individuals. With the possibility of imposing bans on those who breach the regulations put in place to protect investors. The FCA is able to ban financial products for up to a year while considering an indefinite ban. Further, the FCA is able to freeze assets of individuals or organisations under investigation.
By trading online with a broker that is regulated by the FCA, there is also the benefit of protection under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). FCA regulated firms are required to become a member of the FSCS. The aim of this scheme is to offer the possibility of compensation to eligible clients if the broker runs into financial issues. The FSCS gives protection up to a maximum amount of £50,000. In the event of liquidation, those who qualify can receive up to 100% of their money for claims up to £30,000 and a maximum of 90% for claims above £50,000.
We believe that a forex broker who is authorised and regulated can give traders peace of mind that they are using a brokerage firm which must abide by strict rules and regulations put in place to protect them. It is worth noting that some non-UK forex brokers can still solicit clients located within the UK whilst UK forex brokers are also able to offer online trading services to clients located in some countries outside of the UK. In this instance, it would be a wise idea to make sure that they have the relevant regulation within the jurisdiction that they operate from.
Verifying the regulation of forex brokers in UK
If a forex broker has been licensed to operate in the United Kingdom (UK), they are given a registration number. This number can usually be found near the footer of a broker’s website where they state that they are regulated. You can then check on the regulators website if the registration number is valid and up to date. It has been known for some scam brokers to fake registration, some even going as far to clone another broker. When you lookup the registration number you should find details of the brokerage firm including their website, contact details and if they have had any cases brought against them or warnings.
Best Stock Brokers UK
Here you will find our best UK stock brokers list based on our unbiased stock broker reviews and ratings. The Trading Brokers expert research team have researched and analysed hundreds of online stock brokers to save you time when choosing from the best stock brokers in the UK.
In order to make it into our best stock brokers UK list, the online stock brokerage firm should provide traders with a large selection of global stocks for trading on the best trading platforms and have competitive fees. They should offer a selection of trading tools for analysing the stock markets and educational resources to help traders to increase their knowledge of the stock markets and improve their trading skills.
In addition to this, the stock broker should have a choice of flexible account types to cater for different investment sizes and experience levels. Most importantly, a UK stock broker must be authorised and regulated to accept stock traders in the UK.
With there being so many UK stock brokers for traders to choose from, we have compiled a list of our best UK stock brokers below.
Top 5 Stock Brokers UK
FCA, CFTC, NFA, BaFin, FINMA, ASIC, FMA, MAS, FSA, FSCA, DFSA, JFSA, METI, MAFF
Min $250 Deposit
1974
1:200
We have selected these as our best UK stock brokers primarily due to their strict regulation and established reputation within the online stock brokerage industry. They have passed our stringent stock broker reviews with flying colours and been awarded a top stock broker rating according to our findings that have considered a number of important factors for trading stocks online in the UK.
How did we choose our best stock brokers in the UK?
The first thing we did was to make sure that any broker under consideration for the best stock brokers in the UK was regulated and authorised to offer forex trading to UK traders. Upon confirmation that the broker was regulated to operate in the UK, we conducted detailed research and analysis on the trading services that they provide. Based on our findings of what we consider to be some of the key factors to consider when choosing an online stock broker, we were then able to give them a stock broker rating. Amongst the most important things we considered include:
- Regulation: The stock broker should be authorised and regulated to offer forex trading in the UK.
- Trading Platforms: The stock broker should have a range of the best stock trading platforms with user friendly interfaces and trading tools for analysing the stock markets. The platforms should be compatible on desktop, web and mobile devices for trading stocks whilst on the move.
- Trading Instruments: The stock broker should offer a large selection of global stocks in different markets for trading online.
- Spreads: The stock brokers spreads should be competitive, the tighter the better.
- Commission: The commission charged for trading stocks should be priced low.
- Fees: Other fees such as those charged for deposits, withdrawals, account inactivity, holding positions overnight, etc, should all be made clear.
- Execution Speeds: Traders buy or sell stock positions should be entered with minimal slippage.
- Liquidity Providers: The stock broker should incorporate top tier liquidity providers (LPs) in order to offer a deep liquidity pool to traders.
- Trading Tools: There should be a good selection of trading tools for analysing the stock markets, planning/managing stock positions, stock trading signals, social trading, etc.
- Educational Materials: The stock broker should offer traders a range of educational resources on various stock trading topics to help them improve their trading skills and knowledge. Training tools can include video tutorials, stock trading guides, webinars, etc.
- Trading Accounts: The stock broker should offer a choice of flexible trading accounts to cater for different levels of investment and experience levels.
- Account Deposit & Withdrawal Options: There should be a choice of convenient account funding methods, including online payment processors for fast and easy account funding.
- Client Support: The online stock brokerage should offer efficient and well-educated client support in order to respond in a prompt and efficient manner to all general and technical questions that traders may have.
UK stock brokers regulation
In a nutshell, stock trading is a popular form of online trading that enables the trader to speculate on the rising or falling prices of a particular company or basket of selected stocks known as Indices. An online stock broker acts as the intermediary between you the trader and the exchange where the stocks are traded. Anyone can open a trading account with an online brokerage and use their online stock trading platform to buy and sell stocks. In recent years, online stock trading has continued to increase in popularity and with so many UK stock brokerages to choose from, it can make it difficult for traders to choose the best stock broker in the UK for them.
For us here at Trading Brokers, we believe that one of the most important things to consider when choosing from the best UK stock brokers, is that the brokerage firm is authorised and regulated to offer stock trading to UK traders. Using a regulated stock broker can give online traders the peace of mind that they are using a stock brokerage that must abide by strict rules and regulations put in place to protect investors.
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is an independent public body that regulates the financial services industry in the United Kingdom. Its role is to help protect consumers, keeping the industry stable, and promoting healthy competition between financial service providers.
The FCA was established from the Financial Services Act 2012 replacing the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Its purpose was to create a new regulatory framework for financial services, including forex brokers. The FCA is funded through charging fees to members of the financial services industry. It is, however, still accountable to the Treasury and to Parliament.
The FCA has the power to regulate how financial products are marketed and to set minimum standards and requirements on products that firms offer. They also have the power to investigate financial organisations and individuals. With the possibility of imposing bans on those who breach the regulations put in place to protect investors. The FCA is able to ban financial products for up to a year while considering an indefinite ban. Further, the FCA is able to freeze assets of individuals or organisations under investigation.
By trading online with a broker that is regulated by the FCA, there is also the benefit of protection under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). FCA regulated firms are required to become a member of the FSCS. The aim of this scheme is to offer the possibility of compensation to eligible clients if the broker runs into financial issues. The FSCS gives protection up to a maximum amount of £50,000. In the event of liquidation, those who qualify can receive up to 100% of their money for claims up to £30,000 and a maximum of 90% for claims above £50,000.
It should be considered that there will likely be some non-UK stock brokers that still offer their services to traders in the UK. There will also be some UK stock brokers who offer online stock trading to traders that are located in countries outside of the UK. It would usually be considered a wise idea to make sure that the stock broker in question is regulated in the jurisdiction in which they are operating from.
Verifying a UK stock brokers regulation
If a stock broker claims to be licensed to offer stock trading in the United Kingdom (UK), they should have a registration number to evidence this. This registration number will usually be located near the footer of the brokers official website. It would be a sensible idea to check that the brokers registration is valid and up to date on the relevant regulators website. There are unfortunately scam brokers to be wary of. These scam brokers have been known to fake regulation with some even going as far to clone another brokers website. When you are checking a broker’s registration number, you should verify that the details of the brokerage firm including their website and contact details are provided and if they have any cases brought against them.
Best UK Brokers Summary
Whilst these are what we consider to be amongst the most important things to consider when choosing a UK broker, it can differ depending on individual needs. Thus, it is important that you choose a broker that meets your needs and use the above information only for educational purposes and not as advice.