What Is An Online Forex Broker?
An online Forex broker is a company (brokerage firm) that organizes transactions between a buyer and a seller, and it gets a commission once the operation is executed or performed.
In other words, it acts as an intermediary between the two parties in a purchase/sale transaction and charges a commission for its services as a profit.
Generally speaking, a broker is an independent agency that is used extensively in some industries. The primary responsibility of a broker is to bring together buyers and sellers so that they can trade with each other using the broker itself as an intermediary.
Therefore, a broker is a facilitating agent for transactions between buyers and sellers. An example might be a real estate broker who facilitates the sale of a property. Click here To learn more about Forex Trading.
Brokers can also provide considerable market information regarding prices, products, and market conditions. Brokers may represent the seller or the buyer, but it is not possible to represent both of them at the same time.
 Brokers |  Website |
12Trader | www.12trader.com |
24FX | www.24fx.com |
24Option | www.24option.com |
3TG Brokers | www.3tgbrokers.com |
AAAFx | www.aaafx.com |
Abshire-Smith | www.abshire-smith.com |
AC Markets | www.acmarket.net |
AccentForex | www.accentforex.com |
ACM Gold | www.acmgold.com |
ActivTrades | www.activtrades.com |
Admiral Markets | www.admiralmarkets.com |
ADS Securities | www.ads-securities.com |
Advanced Markets | www.advancedmarketsfx.com |
Advantage Futures | www.advantagefutures.com |
AFX Capital | www.afxgroup.com |
AGEA | www.agea.com |
AL Trade | www.alforex.com |
AlfaTrade | www.alfatrade.com |
Alliance Investment Management | www.allianceinvestment.com |
Alpari | www.alpari.com |
Alvexo | www.alvexo.com |
Amana Capital | www.amanacapital.com |
AMarkets | www.amarkets.com |
ArgusFX | www.argusfx.com |
Arum Capital | www.arumcapital.eu |
Aswaq | www.aswaqms.net |
ATC Brokers | www.atcbrokers.com |
Atiora | www.atiora.com |
Atom8 | www.atom8.com |
AvaTrade | www.avatrade.com |
Axiory | www.axiory.com |
AxiTrader | www.axitrader.com |
Berkeley | www.berkeleytradingcorp.com |
Bforex | www.in.bforex.com |
Blackwell Global | www.blackwellglobal.com |
BNFX | www.bnfxtrading.com |
BocaFX | www.bocafx.com |
Broco | www.broco-rankin.com |
Bulbrokers | www.bulbrokers.com |
BullionVault | www.bullionvault.com |
Caesar Trade | www.caesartrade.com |
Capital Index | www.capitalindex.com |
Capital One Forex | www.capitalone.com |
Capital Spreads | www.lcg.com |
CapTrader | www.captrader.com |
CIM Bank | www.cimbanque.com |
CIMB Securities | www.cimbsecurities.com |
CitiFX Pro | www.citifx.com |
City Credit Capital | www.cccapital.co.uk |
City Index | www.cityindex.co.uk |
City Point Trading | www.citypointtrading.com |
CM Trading | www.cmtrading.com |
CMC Markets | www.cmcmarkets.com |
CMS Forex | www.cmsfx.com |
CMSTrader | www.cmstrader.com |
Cobra Trading | www.cobratrading.com |
Coinbase | www.coinbase.com |
Colmex Pro | www.colmexpro.com |
CompassFX | www.compassfx.comcompass |
Core Spreads | www.corespreads.com |
Corsa Capital | www.corsaforex.com |
Credit Financier Invest | www.cfifinancial.com |
Credit Suisse | www.credit-suisse.com |
Crown FOREX | www.crownforex.in |
Daniels Trading | www.danielstrading.com |
DBFX | www.dbfx.com |
DeltaStock | www.deltastock.com |
Destek Markets | www.destekmarkets.com |
DF Markets | www.dfmarkets.co.uk |
DIF Broker | www.difbroker.com |
Direct FX | www.directfx.com |
DMM FX | www.fx.dmm.com |
Dukascopy | www.dukascopy.com |
DupontFX | www.dupontfx.com |
E Global | www.eglobalcentral.eu |
easyMarkets | www.easymarkets.comeu |
ECMarkets | www.ecmarket.com |
EFG Hermes | www.efghermes.com |
eForex | www.eforexindia.com |
Eightcap | www.eightcap.com |
eToro | www.etoro.com![]() |
ETX Capital | www.etxcapital.com |
Euro Pacific | www.europac.com |
EVERFX | www.everfx.com |
Exness | www.exness.com |
Exto Capital | www.extopartners.com |
EZinvest | www.ezinvest.com |
Falcofx | www.falcofx.com |
Falcon Brokers | www.new.falconbrokers.com |
FBS | www.fbs.com![]() |
FCMarket | www.fcmarket.com |
FIBO Group | www.fibogroup.eu |
Fidelis | www.fideliscare.org |
Financika | www.financikatrade.comindex |
Finex | www.finexforex.co.in |
Finexo | www.finexo.com |
FinFx | www.finfxpro.com |
FinMarket | www.finmarket.com |
Finotec | www.finotec.com |
FinPro Trading | www.finprotrading.com |
Forex Broker Inc | www.forexbrokerinc.com |
Forex Club | www.fxclub.com |
Forex Metal | www.forexmetal.co.in |
Forex MMCIS | www.forex-mmcis.ru |
Forex Signs | www.fsifx.com |
Forex Ukraine | www.forexua.com |
Forex Worldwide | www.forexworldwide.com |
FOREX.com | www.forex.com![]() |
Forex_ch | www.forex.ch |
Forex4You | www.forex4you.com |
ForexCycle | www.forexcycle.com |
Forexite | www.forexite.com |
ForexMart | www.forexmart.com |
Forex-Metal | www.forexmetal.co.in |
ForexWebTrader | www.mt4.xm.com |
ForexYard | www.forexyard.com |
Formax | www.formax.com |
Fort Financial Services | www.fortfs.com |
FreshForex | www.freshforex.com |
Fullerton Markets | www.fullertonmarkets.com |
FX Clearing | www.fxclearing.com |
FX Club | www.fxclub.com |
FX Giants | www.fxgiants.co.uk |
FX Renew | www.fxrenew.com |
FX Universal | www.fxuniversal.com |
FXA Securities | www.fxasec.comehtml |
FXall | www.fxall.com |
FXcast | www.fxcast.com |
FXCC | www.fxcc.com |
FXCH | www.forex-swiss.com |
FXCL | www.fxclearing.com |
FXCM | www.fxcm.com |
FxCompany | www.fxcompany.net |
FXDD | www.fxdd.com |
FXFair | www.fxfair.com |
FXFlat | www.fxflat.com |
FXGiants | www.fxgiants.co.uk |
FXGLORY | www.fxglory.com |
FXGM | www.fxgm.com |
FxGrow | www.fxgrow.com |
FxNet | www.fxnet.com |
FXOpen | www.fxopen.com |
FXPIG | www.fxpig.com |
FXPRIMUS | www.fxprimus.com |
FxPro | www.fxpro.co.uk |
FXTM | www.forextime.com |
FXTSP | www.fxtsp.com |
FXTSwiss | www.fxtswiss.com |
Gain Capital | www.gaincapital.com |
Gain Scope | www.gainscopefx.comforex |
GCI Financial | www.gcitrading.com |
GCI Trading | www.gcitrading.com |
GDMFX | www.gdmfx.com |
GFCMarkets | www.goforex.com |
GKFX | www.gkfx.com |
Global Brokerage Inc | www.ir.globalbrokerage.info |
Global Futures | www.gffbrokers.com |
Go Markets | www.gomarkets.com.au |
Grand Capital | www.grandcapital.net |
GTMFX | www.gtmfx.com |
GulliverFX | www.gulliverfx.co.uk |
Halifax Online | www.halifax-online.co.uk |
Hantec Markets | www.hantecfx.com |
HereForex | www.hereforex.com |
HiWayFX | www.hiwayfx.com |
HMS Markets | www.hms.lu |
HotForex | www.hotforex.com |
Hotspot FX | www.fx.cboe.com |
HY Markets | www.hymarkets.com |
HYCM | www.hycm.com |
IBFX | www.ibfx.com |
IC Markets | www.icmarkets.com![]() |
IFC Markets | www.ifcmarkets.co.in |
iFOREX | www.iforex.in |
IG Index | www.ig.com |
IG Markets | www.ig.com |
Ikon Group | www.ikonpr.com |
Ikon-Royal | www.ikongm.com |
Infin Markets | www.infinmarkets.com |
INGOT | www.ingotbrokers.com.au |
InstaForex | www.instaforex.com |
Interactive Brokers | www.interactivebrokers.co.in |
InterbankFx | www.ibfx.com |
InterTrader | www.intertrader.com |
IronFX | www.ironfx.com |
ITRADER | www.itrader.com |
IWBank | www.itrader.com |
Juno Markets | www.junomarkets.com |
JustForex | www.justforex.com |
Kawase | www.kawase.com |
KerfordFX | www.kerfordinvestments.com |
KeyStock | www.keystock.co.in |
Keytrade | www.keytradebank.be |
KGI Futures Singapore | www.kgieworld.sg |
KLMFX | www.klmfx.com |
Larson And Holz | www.lh-broker.com |
Larson&Holz IT Ltd | www.lh-broker.com |
LCG | www.lcg.com |
Legacy FX | www.legacyefx.com |
LeverageFX | www.leveragefx.com |
Lightspeed Trading | www.lightspeed.com |
LiteForex | www.liteforex.com |
Lloyds TSB | www.lloydsbank.com |
LMFX | www.lmfx.com |
LQDFX | www.lqdfx.com |
MahiFX | www.mahifx.com |
Marketiva | www.forex.marketiva.cn |
MarkeTrade | www.marketrade.com.au |
Maxi Forex | www.maxi-forex.com |
MB Trading | www.mbtrading.com |
Mega Trader FX | www.megatraderforex.com |
Money Gram | www.secure.moneygram.com |
MTrading | www.mtrading.comin |
MultiBank Exchange Group | www.mexgroup.com |
Nano Forex | www.nanoforexcorp.com |
Nas broker | www.nas-broker.com |
NBPFX | www.npbfx.com |
NetoTrade | www.netotrade.com |
NewForex | www.newforex.com |
NoaFX | www.noafx.com |
Noble Trading | www.thisisnoble.com |
Noor CM | www.noorcm.com |
NordFX | www.nordfx.com |
NordMarkets | www.nordfx.com |
Northern Trust | www.northerntrust.com |
NorthFinance | www.northfinance.com |
Norvik Banka | www.norvik.eu |
NPBFX | www.npbfx.com |
NSFX | www.nsfx.com |
Oanda | www.oanda.com![]() |
OctaFX | www.octafx.com |
One Financial | www.onefinancialmarkets.com |
Orbex | www.orbex.com |
OTMFX | www.otmfx.com |
PaxForex | www.paxforex.com |
Pepperstone | www.pepperstone.com![]() |
PFD NZ | www.pfd-nz.com |
Phillip Futures | www.phillipfutures.com.sg |
Plus500 | www.plus500.com |
PrivateFX | www.privatefx.com |
Q8Trade | www.q8trade.com |
Questrade | www.questrade.com![]() |
RBC Capital Markets | www.rbccm.com |
RCG | www.rcg.com |
Real Forex | www.real-forex.com |
Realtime Forex | www.realtimeforex.com |
RoboForex | www.roboforex.com |
Rosenthal Collins Group | www.rcgdirect.com |
Saxo Bank | www.home.saxo |
SFX Markets | www.sfx-markets.com |
Speed Trader | www.speedtrader.com |
Spot Trader | www.spottraderfx.com |
Spread Co | www.spreadco.com |
Squared Financial | www.squaredfinancial.com |
StartForex | www.startfx.com |
STIFX | www.stifxonline.com |
STOCK.com | www.stock.com |
Strategem FX | www.stratagemfx.com |
Sucden Financial | www.sucdenfinancial.com |
Sun Hung Kai Financial | www.shkf.com |
SwissDirekt | www.swissdirekt.com |
Swissquote | www.https: |
Tallinex | www.tallinex.com |
TeleTrade | www.teletrade.eu |
TFI Markets | www.tfimarkets.com |
TFIFx | www.tfimarkets.com |
ThinkMarkets | www.thinkmarkets.com![]() |
thinkorswim | www.thinkorswim.com |
Tickmill | www.tickmill.com![]() |
TMS Brokers | www.tmseurope.com |
Trade Pro Futures | www.tradeprofutures.com |
Trade.com | www.trade.com |
Trade12 | www.trade12.com |
Trade24 | www.trade-24.com |
Trade360 | www.trade360.com-gb |
Tradenet | www.tradenet.com |
Tradeo | www.tradeo.com |
TraderNovo | www.tradernovo.com |
Traders Way | www.tradersway.com |
TradeStation Securities | www.tradestation.com |
Tradeview Forex | www.tradeviewforex.com |
TradexFx | www.tradexfx.com |
Trading 212 | www.trading212.com |
Trading International | www.tradersinternational.com |
Trading Point | www.trading-point.com |
TransMarket Group | www.transmarketgroup.com |
Transworld Futures | www.transworldfutures.com |
TrioMarkets | www.triomarkets.com |
TryMarkets | www.trymarkets.com |
TusarFX | www.tusarfx.com |
UFX | www.ufx.com |
UFXBank | www.ufx.com |
UFXMarkets | www.ufx.com |
Umarkets | www.umarkets.com |
UWCFX | www.uwcfx.com |
Vantage FX | www.vantagefx.com |
Varengold | www.varengoldbankfx.com |
Vinson Financials Ltd | www.vinsonfinancials.com |
WhoTrades | www.whotrades.com |
Windsor Brokers | www.en.windsorbrokers.com |
WorldWide Markets | www.worldwidemarkets.com |
xCFD | www.xcfd.hk |
XForex | www.xforex.com |
XM | www.xm.com‎![]() |
XTB Forex | www.xtb.com |
Xtrade Europe LTD | www.xtrade.com |
YoutradeFX | www.youtradefx.com |
Z.com Trade | www.trade.z.com |
Zecco | www.Zecco.com |
Zurich Prime | www.zurichprime.com |
An example would be a broker that purchases or sells shares on behalf of their client. Today, brokers play a key role in the purchase/sale of stocks, bonds, futures, foreign exchange, and other financial services.
Before, only wealthy people could afford the services of a broker to access markets. However, the Internet has made it possible for online brokers to appear (discount brokers), which allow investors to operate at a lower cost, although they do not offer any personalised advice (only in some cases).
Thanks to these brokers, almost everyone can operate in the markets.
Before opening an account with a broker and paying for its services—whatever the market in which the investor is going to invest—it is important to dedicate the necessary time to investigate which are the best options of these companies or individuals.
It is also important to choose the broker that presents the best conditions and adapts better to the needs of the Investor, and for this you’ll have to dedicate time in order to make  the right decision or visit our Forex Broker List page.
For example, if you want to invest in the U.S. stock market, you have to go for a properly regulated and accredited broker that complies with the strict financial services regulations in that country.
On the other hand, if a trader is interested in the Forex market, then they must choose a broker that has a good reputation, and that is also registered and regulated by one of the most important financial regulatory bodies in Europe or the United States, in this case.
How Do Forex Brokers Work?
Brokers usually have an advanced trading position in the market. It is worth noting that a foreign exchange brokerage is an entity that connects retail foreign exchange traders to the foreign exchange market.
The Forex market is traded on the “interbank” market, which is an elegant way of saying that banks trade electronically with each other at various prices that can change from bank to bank.
This is how Forex brokers make their money, by taking a slice of the pie when you make a trade. There are changes in the relationship between two currencies which are measured in pips.
When you make a trade, the Forex broker charges you a few pips before actually putting your trade on the market (this is a regular action to be done). For example,Â
The market could quote at 1.3100 EUR/USD as the purchase price, and when entering your trade, the broker can put you at 1.3102.
If you close your trade immediately, the Forex broker collects the profit between the ‘market price’ and the price you paid (this is known as a spread).
You might wonder why the Forex broker would choose such a small item to make money on; the easy answer is that most people don’t think of a couple of pips of difference when they are trading.
Online Brokers (discount brokers)
A discount broker is a company that charges small commissions by permitting the execution of the transactions of the clients in the market using computerised trading systems (the electronic trading platforms that many brokers currently employ) rather than using the services of an agent or human broker to place orders in the marketplace.
Today, most traditional brokers are competing strongly to attract the attention of the clients and their money by quickly shifting to this less expensive and efficient method of trading in the markets.
Currently, most Forex brokers trade as online brokers, offering their clients the possibility to trade in the Forex market from anywhere, only with an Internet connection through a trading platform.
This allows these companies to provide a service at quite low costs compared to other markets. A similar trend is being seen in other markets, such as  stocks or futures, where brokers are orienting their services towards online trading platforms.
Another way that some brokers use to reduce costs is by executing orders only a few times a day, by aggregating the orders of a large number of small investors in one or more trading blocks that are created at specific times during the day. This allows them to reduce costs in two ways:
In the case of stock market brokers—for example—since investors’ money is combined before the purchase or sale of shares, this allows the reverse to contribute relatively small amounts of money with which fractional shares of specific shares can be acquired.
This is not usually possible with a regular broker.
What are some of the Functions of a Fx broker
Among the functions of a broker, we can find:
- Intervene in the purchase/sale of assets and the management of securities.
- Placement of new securities in the market (public offering, or also known as IPO). This refers to when a company is interested in going public, and it should contact the broker, who will be in charge of finding a buyer for its shares.
- To inform and advise the client and the companies.
How to choose the right forex broker?
The following are some of the aspects or requirements that a broker must meet for you to select the right broker:
- Experience: As a general rule, those brokers who have been around for longer tend to be wiser and more reputable. Choosing a newer Forex broker brings along the risk of hiring an under-prepared firm or a possible scam.
- Credibility: The reputation of a broker goes a long way in providing an outlook on its service quality. Make sure to look around for signs of its credibility such as awards, the presence of regulator, and even a professional-looking site is a good sign!
- Favorable Opinions: It is possible to find opinions on the Internet from clients about the broker you want to hire, so it is very important that you look for all the information you can.
- Low costs: FOREX brokers make their income from the differences in bid and ask prices, and this can be detrimental to your trades if you are not careful. Make sure that you study spreads wisely before choosing a broker, but remember that cheapest does not necessarily equals best.
Advantages of using a broker
- There are several advantages to using a broker. First, they know the market and have usually established relationships in the industry that allow them to offer market access that many investors could never have on their own.
- Brokers have the resources and tools to reach the largest possible base of buyers and sellers. Many brokers are related to large banks or other financial institutions, giving them access to even more resources.
- Another benefit of using brokers is the cost, as they can be cheaper as in the case of Forex, where there are companies that allow opening accounts with low initial capital and charge relatively low commissions compared to other financial markets.
Different Types of Forex Brokers
There are different types of brokers at present, which can be classified both by the way they operate and by the assets or instruments they offer their clients to trade in the market.
To give an idea, some brokers offer access to the stock market. Meanwhile, others specialise just in the Forex market or Futures contracts. There are some that allow their clients to trade on different instruments, such as Forex brokers that offer many pairs of currencies, commodities, Contracts for Difference based on various assets and others.
Below we will explain some types of brokers according to the way they operate and offer their services to their clients to access the financial markets
The ECN brokers
In these brokers, ENC stands for Electronic Communication Network, because an ECN Broker uses it to give its clients direct access to other market participants. In other words, it is a company that offers the trader direct access to the market.
This kind of broker consolidates prices coming from another market participants, and it permits its clients to trade with adjusted and variable Bid/Ask spreads that they do not have access to through other brokers.
Since an ECN broker only matches orders between market participants (it acts as an intermediary between its clients and other market participants), it cannot trade directly against the client, a complaint often directed against some brokers, such as Market Maker Forex brokers.
Definition of Electronic Communication Network – ECN
It is an electronic system that aims to eliminate the role of a third party in the execution of orders placed in the market by a market maker, either in a centralised market or exchange or an Over The Counter market, and allows such orders to be executed partially or completely.
An ECN connects the main brokers and individual traders so that they can trade with each other without having to use the services of an intermediary.
Market Maker Brokers
A Market Maker brokerage firm is a firm that accepts the risk of holding a certain amount of a particular asset or financial instrument to facilitate trading on that asset.
The market makers usually compete for the flow of orders from clients, represented by speculators and investors, showing the bid and ask prices for a certain amount of the asset; in this case, it can be a stock, a commodity, a currency pair, or any other type of instrument traded on the market.

ECN Brokers vs. Market Maker Brokers
The system of market maker brokers offers bid and ask prices for the instruments they provide to their clients. They have a technology that allows them to make transactions at these prices with their clients, which includes individual banks and traders.
In return for each operation regarding costs, the market maker has to cover the operation in the market using its capital. This means that every time the trader buys, the market maker sells and vice versa.
If it covers the operation in the market, the broker’s income comes from the spread. The spread is the difference between the bid and ask price of an asset, and in the case of market makers, they charge an additional amount over the spread they obtain from the market, which is their profit for each operation of their clients.
This is why they generally offer wider spreads than ECN brokers. In the case of the Forex market, the spread is measured in pips (the smallest unit of variation in the price of a currency).
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Sometimes the broker may choose to become the counterparty of his or her clients and not cover the transaction of the client. In this way, everything the customer loses becomes profit for the market maker.
Conversely, with an ECN broker, there is no conflict of interest as the company never operates against the client. This is because the broker seeks a counterparty for his clients’ orders in the market in such a way that he never acts as his counterparty, so he does not need to clear open positions.
Through the ECN network, the broker matches the orders of his clients with those of other traders, so their profits come from the commissions they charge for each trade and spread. In this way, the ECN broker is never interested in the trader losing out on his trades, quite the contrary.
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