Forex Brokers in South Africa

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South Africa is a popular destination for forex brokers where you will find some of the top brokers in the industry are registered. The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) is responsible for market conduct regulation and supervision of forex brokers in South Africa. This is considered by many traders to be a top tier regulator which gives them peace of mind when trading or investing with a South African forex broker.

Best forex brokers in South Africa

We have reviewed hundreds of South African forex brokers in great detail and assigned them with an unbiased broker rating based on our findings. During this research, we gave great consideration to what we deem to be amongst the most important factors to consider when choosing an online trading broker. You can see a selection of our best forex brokers in South Africa in the table below.

ADGM FRSA, ASIC, BVIFSC, CBI, FFAJ, FSCA, IIROC, JFSA

$100

2006

1:400

Review Trade Trade

ASIC, BaFin, CFTC, DFSA, FCA, FINMA, FMA, FSA, FSCA, JFSA, MAFF, MAS, METI, NFA

$250

1974

1:200

Review Trade Trade

ASIC, BVIFSC, CySEC, FCA, FSCA

$/£/€100

2008

1:300

Review Trade Trade

CySEC, FCA, FSC, FSCA

$10

2011

1:300

Review Trade Trade

CySEC, DFSA, FCA, FSCA, IFSC

2004

1:500

Review Trade Trade

CySEC, FSCA, VFSC

$100

2009

1:1000

Review Trade Trade

CySEC, FCA, FSC, FSCA

$100

2013

1:300

Review Trade Trade

CySEC, FINMA, FSCA

$50

2015

1:500

Review Trade Trade

FSCA

$250

2012

1:200

Review Trade Trade

10.

CIMA, CySEC, DFSA, FCA, FSA, FSCA

$100

2010

1:30

Review Trade Trade

How to choose a FSCA forex broker?

The most important factor for us to consider when choosing the best South African forex brokers was that the brokers are regulated and authorised to offer forex trading products and services to traders and investors. Once the brokers regulation had been confirmed, we then researched and analysed the range of trading services that they provide.

Forex Regulation in South Africa

We believe that it is of upmost importance that a forex broker providing services to traders in South Africa is authorised and regulated to do so. Using a regulated broker helps to give traders peace of mind that they are using a brokerage firm which is subject to strict rules and regulations put in place to help protect investors.

It is worth mentioning that there are some non-South African brokers that still solicit clients located within South Africa. There are also South African forex brokers who offer online trading services to clients located in some countries outside of the South Africa. In this instance, it would be a considered a wise idea to ensure that the broker has the relevant regulation within the jurisdiction that they are operating from.

If a broker has been licensed by a regulator, they should be provided with a registration number as proof that they are registered. This number is usually located on the brokers website, near the footer where they state who they are regulated by.

You should check on the relevant regulators website to validate the current status of the broker registration to ensure that it is valid and up to date. It has been known for some scam brokers to fake regulation, some even going as far to clone another brokers website.

When you are looking up the registration number, you should find details of the regulated brokerage firm including their website, contact details and if they have any cases brought against them.

Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA)

The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) is the market conduct regulator, responsible for the regulation of financial institutions in South Africa that provide financial products and financial services, financial institutions that are licensed in terms of a financial sector law, including banks, insurers, retirement funds and administrators, and market infrastructures.

The FSCA aims to enhance and support the efficiency and integrity of financial markets and to protect financial customers by promoting their fair treatment by financial institutions, as well as providing financial customers with financial education. They aim to ensure there is an efficient and stable financial sector where customers are informed, protected and treated fairly.

Forex Platforms

The best FSCA forex brokers should have a variety of different forex 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. You will find that there are lots of MetaTrader brokers which is one of the most user-friendly platforms that gives convenient market access for manual and automated trading strategies.

Currency Pairs

The broker should provide South African forex traders with a wide range of currency pairs and other trading instruments across multiple asset classes including Forex, Commodities, Cryptocurrency, Stocks, Indices, Options, ETFs, CFDs and Futures. 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.

Forex Spreads

When you place a trade position with a currency 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 South African forex 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 forex trading strategies actually depend on low commissions. Thus, the best forex brokers in South Africa should have the most competitive commissions.

Forex 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. If you are looking to save as much as possible on your trading costs, you can take a look at our best discount brokers.

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 South African forex brokers should have rapid execution speeds with minimal slippage so that traders get the best available prices more often than not. Some forex strategies such as scalping are dependent on reliable execution speeds.

Liquidity Providers

The best forex brokers in South Africa 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. You may find that brokers with no dealing desk such as ECN forex brokers have superior execution and the tightest spreads of all types of forex broker.

Forex Trading Tools

Whilst the forex trading platforms offered by brokers will usually have more than enough trading tools for the average trader, there are some brokers who offer additional forex trading tools such as economic calendars, trading calculators, forex analysis, forex signals and more. The best South African forex brokers will usually offer some additional trading tools to support forex 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 forex brokers will usually offer clients a range of free educational materials such as tutorial videos, trading guides, eBooks, trading glossary, FAQs, webinars and seminars.

Forex Account Types

Trading brokers can have a variety of different forex 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 South African forex brokers should have a selection of account types for different experience levels and trading strategies. Demo forex accounts can be useful to practice trading online with virtual funds whilst Islamic swap-free accounts that comply with Sharia law support Muslim traders.

Account Funding Options

In order to trade forex 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 forex brokers in South Africa 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 South African forex 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.

Forex Brokers with ZAR Accounts

If you are planning to trade online and based in South Africa, chances are that you will want to opt for a forex broker with ZAR accounts. Thankfully, this is a popular currency amongst the majority of South African brokers and even international brokerage firms for that matter. You should be able to open an account using ZAR as the base currency and make deposits directly to and from a South African bank account without incurring any currency conversion fees.

Is forex trading legal in South Africa?

Retail FX and CFD trading is permitted in South Africa, however there are a number of guidelines that must be observed. These regulations exist to safeguard consumers and maintain the value of the South African Rand, the nation’s currency. South Africa, which has a long history of contact with Europe, has built a comparable regulatory framework to stop money laundering and to acknowledge that net gains from forex trading are reportable income for tax purposes.

On foreign land, forex traders are not required to utilize local or authorized brokers, but certain procedures must be followed when setting up and funding international financial accounts. Rules governing Know-Your-Customer (KYC) are in effect, and there are limits on the amount of money that can be transferred overseas. To comprehend these guidelines and discover how to follow them, speak with a local banker.

The regulatory structure of South Africa is modeled after that of western developed nations, with a reserve bank in charge of banking regulation and one agency in charge of capital markets. The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) is responsible for overseeing currency trading regulations in South Africa. The South African Reserve Bank is in charge of overseeing banks’ compliance with regulations, formulating monetary policy, preserving stable ZAR currency rates abroad, and managing the movement of funds out of the nation.

It used to be difficult to fund a foreign account for trading, but it’s now considerably simpler, especially for retail forex traders whose balances might range from 7,500 ZAR to 150,000 ZAR. If more than one million Rand to be moved, issues still exist. For transactions under 10 million ZAR, a straightforward banking form is needed; however, transfers of 10 million ZAR or more necessitate substantially more paperwork and official permission.

If the trader complies with anti-money laundering regulations and declares net income on his tax return, there won’t be any legal problems associated with forex trading. Although local brokers are licensed by the FSCA, traders are not required to employ them. South African residents are permitted to trade with any forex broker, registered or unregulated, that will take them on as clients.

The FSCA declared that forex trading is allowed as long as the trader only purchases financial derivatives from authorized dealers and refrains from betting against the Rand in October 2020. Another restriction is that a South African citizen is not permitted to buy foreign currency directly from an online broker. A licensed bank or foreign exchange currency dealer must be involved in the transaction in order to accept the delivery of foreign currency.

Conclusion: should I trade with a South African forex broker?

If you are a resident of South Africa and looking to trade forex online, then I would certainly consider using a FSCA regulated forex broker. This can give you peace of mind that they will operate in an honest and transparent manner as they need to comply with strict rules and regulations that have been put in place to protect investors.

However, you may also be able to trade forex with an offshore forex broker who offers certain trading products and services that an FSCA forex broker cannot. The problem with that is, you might not get the same protection should something go wrong. You will find that there are forex brokers regulated both in South Africa and offshore, which can give you the option depending on your circumstances.