Best CFTC Regulated Trading Platforms

Published date: May 28, 2020 | 2:44 PM

If you are looking for a regulated forex broker in the United States, there are two major regulatory agencies that you should know of. These are the National Futures Association and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, also known as CFTC, is an independent financial regulatory body in the United States that was established in 1974 and is responsible for regulating the trading activity of futures, swaps, and other financial derivatives that include Forex and CFDs. You should note that the CFTC has no responsibility in regulating the stock market, and securities in the United States are highly regulated by the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC).

In this guide, we listed three top CFTC regulated brokers, explain the reasons why you will benefit to trade with one of these brokers, and include important factors when choosing the most suitable CFTC regulated broker for your needs

Top 3 CFTC Regulated Trading Platforms in 2021

You can read in-depth reviews of the best CFTC trading platforms further down this page, but if you don’t have time for that, here’s a list of the top providers in 2021.

Forex.com – Best CFTC broker for forex trading
IG – Best CFTC broker for stock trading
OANDA – Best CFTC broker for beginners

In This Guide

The Best CFTC Trading Platforms

As US regulatory agencies are known to be professional and very strict, it is clear that CFTC forex brokers are among the most reliable brokers to trade with. Furthermore, the process of getting a CFTC approval is quite difficult and requires full transparency and financial stability. As a result, there are only a few brokers out there that have gained a CFTC license. Here are our top picks for the best CFTC Brokers as of 2021.

1. Forex.com - Best Overall CFTC Broker

Forex.com is our top pick for the best CFTC trading platform. This broker is one of the few brokers in the industry that is licensed and regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as well as by the National Futures Association (NFA) in the United States.

Founded in 1999, Forex.com offers a wide range of more than 4,500 financial assets and a selection of trading accounts and trading platforms that include the MetaTrader4, MetaTrader5, cTrader, and a proprietary trading platform. For many reasons, Forex.com is suitable for almost all levels of traders. Professional traders can use a DMA/STP account which can be a great match for active traders who are looking for high-speed execution and tight spreads. Furthermore, Forex.com offers a reduction of trading costs by up to 18% with cash rebates for high-volume active traders. On the other hand, beginners are advised to choose Forex.com’s proprietary trading platform or the popular MetaTrader4. In addition, the broker provides an informative learning center for beginner traders.

Apart from being CFTC regulated, Forex.com holds licensed from several top authorities in different regions in the world. Those include the National Futures Association (NFA) in the United States, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in Australia, the Financial Services Agency (FSA) in Japan, the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) in Canada, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) in Hong Kong, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in Singapore.

Our rating

Forex.com allows you to get access to automated trading tools
Low minimum deposit requirement of $50
Offers an extensive range of trading platforms and trading accounts

No CFD trading for US traders
Forex.com charges an inactivity fee of $15 there is no trading activity for a period of 12 months or more

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2. IG - Best CFTC Regulated Broker with Years of Experience and Competitive Spreads

Established in 1974, IG Group is one of the leading Forex and CFD brokers in the world with more than 178,000 clients worldwide and a market cap of 2.882B. IG Group is a public company traded on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol IGG. Within the United States, IG is a trading name of IG US LLC. The company is registered with the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and member of the National Futures Association under the registration number 0509630.

Launched in February 2019, IG US is a relatively new player in the US Forex market. The greatest advantage of IG compared to any regulated broker in the United States is simply the low spreads it offers. The broker takes pride in offering up to 20% lower spreads on major currency pairs that start from just 0.8 pips for EUR/USD and the average spreads of 0.9 for all currency pairs.

In addition to offering highly competitive spreads on over 80 currency pairs, it is also one of the few brokers that offer the MetaTrader4 for US traders. IG offers clients a choice between MT4 and its proprietary trading platform but more than, traders can get access to Virtual Private Server (VPS), and automated trading. Finally, IG offers ProRealTime, which is a professional online charting software for experienced traders who use advanced technical analysis strategies.

Our Rating

Offers the lowest spreads for FX pairs in the United States
A leverage ratio of 1:50
Automated trading is available

An account balance must be over 5000 USD in order to use a Virtual Private Server (VPS)
Limited selection of payment methods

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3. Oanda - Best CFTC Trading Platform For Beginners and Programmers

Oanda is another US CFTC regulated broker that is best known for its easy-to-use trading platforms and the low trading costs it offers. The Oanda Corporation is a registered Retail Foreign Exchange Dealer (RFED) with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and a Forex Dealer Member of the National Futures Association under registration number 0325821.

Oanda tries to differentiate itself by offering low trading costs and a selection of trading platforms. The US-Based Forex broker provides more than 70 currency pairs and a selection of powerful trading platforms and tools. In terms of trading platforms, Oanda offers four ways to trade – The Oanda Trade Web (browser-based platform), the Oanda Trade Desktop, Oanda Trade app, and MetaTrader4. Oanda is mostly suitable for beginners who are looking for an easy-to-use trading platform or trading programmers who are looking to use an API service or automate their trading.

In terms of regulation and safety of funds, Oanda is not only regulated by CFTC but also holds licenses in Canada, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Australia.

Our Rating

A wide selection of partner tools and APIs
Highly regulated Forex broker
No minimum deposit requirement

Limited advanced trading tools
Offers only two account types (Standard and Premium)

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What Should You Look for in a CFTC Trading Platform?

CFTC ensures the integrity of forex brokers and a reliable market trading activity. It is well-known that CFTC regulated brokers are subject to strict regulatory requirements that include financial stability, transparent operation, funds security, and Anti-money laundering.

By now, you have a list of the best CFTC regulated forex brokers to choose from but if you are still in doubt as to which broker will be the most suitable for you, here are some significant factors to take into consideration.

Regulation and Safety of Funds

Nowadays, there are two regulatory agencies responsible for regulating the US Forex market; the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the National Futures Association. However, every forex broker operating in the United States must be registered and regulated by the CFTC.

Luckily, many small and relatively unreliable retail brokers who failed to meet ‘The Farm Bill’ capital requirement (at least $20 million) have disappeared from the US forex market. Traders and investors are also able to file complaints directly to the CFTC in any case of a dispute. Moreover, the CFTC is responsible to protect clients from any fraud, manipulation, or disorders in market activity.

A Leverage Ratio

Leverage is a major contributing factor to the popularity of the forex market. It simply allows users to trade with small capital and increase profitability or loss. However, leverage ratio is limited in the United States, and following the Dodd-Frank Act in 2010, regulatory agencies have set a limit of 50:1 on major currencies and 20:1 on minors.

While most of the stock brokers operating in the United States provide a leverage ratio of up to 50:1, it’s advisable that you check margin requirements on all assets before you choose a Forex broker.

Spreads and Fees

Spreads and trading fees are an important factor in determining a forex broker, particularly if you are actively day trading. Forex.com, for instance, is one of the few forex brokers operating in the United States that is offering a Direct Market Access (DMA) account for traders that make high trading volume. The DMA account allows traders to get access to deep liquidity providers, which increases the effectiveness of execution and provides tighter spreads.

Alternatively, IG US offers extremely competitive fixed spreads that start from 0.8 pips for major currency pairs and 0.9 pips for minor and exotic currency pairs.

Trading Platform/Trading Tools

All of our recommended CFTC Forex brokers offer the popular MetaTrader4, which is the perfect solution for the average Joe. However, if you are looking for a more advanced trading platform or a beginner platform, then you will have to find the trading platform that matches your needs.

For experienced traders; IG offers the ProRealTime, a professional trading platform for those who use technical analysis. This platform has over 100 indicators, it allows you to build your own algorithms, use an unlimited number of timeframes on different trading charts, and automatically place orders according to trend lines. Forex.com offers the award-winning NinjaTrader, which is known as one of the best trading platforms in the market for those taking part in day/swing trading. Oanda, on the other hand, has a great selection of partner APIs and VPS services.

Minimum Deposit Requirement

Most forex brokers have a minimum deposit requirement. While some brokers are focus on ‘heavy’ traders, others allow users to open a trading account with a low minimum deposit requirement. From the choices above, Oanda allows you to open a trading account without requiring a minimum initial deposit. Forex.com and IG maintain a minimum deposit requirement of $50, and $250 respectively.

Conclusion

US traders are experiencing a shortage of forex brokers. Since the introduction of the Farm Bill and the Dodd-Frank Reform Act in 2010, the Forex market has completely changed in the US. In fact, there are only a few forex brokers that are regulated and licensed by the CFTC and NFA as of 2021. But that comes to the Benefit of the traders; US Forex brokers are subject to follow strict laws and regulations in order to provide their services to clients.

The bottom line for you; if you are a US resident and wish to start trading forex, it’s recommended that you start with one of our recommended stock brokers above to make sure you get protection and enjoy an advanced and reliable trading platform.

FAQ

What is the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)?

How do I know if a company is CFTC regulated?

What are the benefits of a CFTC regulated broker?

How much money do I need to start trading with a CFTC broker?

How do you read a CFTC report?

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Tom Chen

Tom is an experienced financial analyst and a former derivatives day trader specialising in futures, commodities, forex and cryptocurrency. He has a B.A. in Economics and Management and his work has been published on a range of publications, including Yahoo Finance, FXEmpire and NASDAQ.com.

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