The IG professional account
You know how to trade. Get the freedom and service that your experience deserves, for no extra cost, with the world’s No.1 spread betting and CFD provider.1
Why get an IG professional account?
Greater flexibility
Your margins could decrease by up to 90%.
More products
You’ll still be able to trade restricted products.
Cash rebates
Trade in high volumes? Receive a rebate on your spread each month.
What should you be aware of?
You will forgo some protections afforded to retail clients.
Higher leverage
Pro accounts are not subject to leverage caps, which ESMA believes could lead to poor outcomes.
No negative balance protection
Losses can exceed deposits on a professional account.
Sophisticated language
We won't necessarily use simple language in our communications to pro clients.
Assumed experience
We expect pro traders to have a certain level of knowledge and understanding.
Learn more in our FAQs.
Lower margins
Swipe right to see the difference.
Want to know more about what trading with us will cost you? Call us on +35 318 009 95362.
How much margin you could pay
If you placed a EUR/USD trade at €5/point, at a price of 12320:
Your retail margin requirement would be €2051.28.
With a professional account, it would be €277.20.
An advanced package
Experienced traders deserve appropriate support. Qualify for an IG professional account, and you’ll enjoy a range of features:
- Credit facilities, giving you greater flexibility (subject to approval)
- A dedicated execution desk, enabling you to place complex trades in the underlying market
- Sophisticated order types for greater control, including VWAP, TWAP and volume in line
- Premium rewards when you refer other traders to us, and they meet qualifying criteria
- Direct market access on forex and shares, giving you increased visibility in the underlying market
You’ll also be eligible for, on request:
- A personal account manager, on hand to offer one-to-one support
- Bespoke research tailored to your needs by our expert analysts
- Invitations to premium hospitality and events, allowing you to socialise with like-minded traders in luxurious surroundings
Trade with a market leader
Peerless reputation
Founded in 1974, we are the world’s No.1 spread betting and CFD provider.1 You can rest assured that our business model is built around backing your success when trading with us, and that your funds are protected in fully segregated accounts at regulated banks.
Cutting-edge technology
We invest heavily in developing tech that helps you trade the way you want to. Customise your dealing experience with our clean, quick online platform, mobile apps designed by device, and a range of advanced solutions for automated trading and analysis.
Unparalleled opportunities
Choose from a massive 17,000+ markets, with spreads that we’re always working to keep as low as possible. You’ll also find out-of-hours trading on key US stocks, plus weekend indices and cryptocurrencies, to help you access opportunity you wouldn’t find elsewhere.
Apply now
New clients
- Fill out a simple online form to apply for a spread betting or CFD account
- Log in to your newly created account and follow the prompt to assess your eligibility for professional status
- Complete the additional steps – we’ll ask you for some more info to verify your status
- Check your emails – you’ll know if you’ve been classified as professional within two hours
We may request additional documentation or supporting evidence from you.
Existing clients
- Log in to My IG or your IG Trading app as you normally would
- Once logged in, follow the prompt to assess your eligibility for professional status
- Complete the additional steps – we’ll ask you for some more info to verify your status
- Check your emails – you’ll know if you’ve been classified as professional within two hours
We may request additional documentation or supporting evidence from you.
Don’t see the prompt? Go to ‘settings’ > ‘client and account status’ on desktop, or the ‘accounts’ area in-app.
Please note that final decision on your eligibility will be taken by our account-opening team. Here’s a reminder of the requirements.
Still have questions about opening an IG professional account, or anything else?
Give our team a call on +35 318 009 95362
FAQs
What are the eligibility requirements to becoming a professional trader?
To qualify, you must answer ‘yes’ to two or more of the following:
- Has your trading averaged 10 significantly sized transactions in leveraged derivatives per quarter over the last 4 quarters?
- Do you have a financial instrument portfolio, including cash deposits, exceeding €500,000?
- Have you worked in the financial sector in a professional position, requiring knowledge of derivatives trading, for at least a year?
What is included in my ‘financial instrument portfolio’?
A ‘financial instrument portfolio’ includes:
- Cash
- Stock portfolios
- Trading accounts
It does not include:
- Company pensions
- Non-tradeable assets
- Property
What if I’m not eligible to become a professional trader?
Not a problem – you can still trade with us. You’ll have access to the same powerful platforms and great customer service we offer our professional clients. What’s more, you’ll automatically get negative balance protection on your account.
What’s the difference between an IG trading account and an IG professional account?
With an IG trading account, you’ll need to hold more margin to cover your positions than a professional client would. Your account will also have negative balance protection, meaning that the balance on your account can’t go below zero.
What protections do professional clients forego?
There are a few protections afforded to retail clients that professional clients don’t receive.
- Negative balance protections don’t apply to professional clients, who have an obligation to make additional payments if their account falls into a negative balance. As a professional client, you can still attach guaranteed stops to place an absolute limit on risk. These incur a small premium if triggered.
- We need to use clear language when talking to retail clients, but we can use more sophisticated language when talking to our professional clients.
- We may assume a level of knowledge and experience when assessing whether our products are appropriate for professional clients.
- We owe our clients a duty of best execution when executing orders. For retail clients we must prioritise overall prices and cost of a transaction in doing this. For professional clients we may prioritise other factors such as speed and likelihood of execution, if we determine they are equally or more important than overall price. In practice, we don’t change the way we execute your orders.
What if I already have an IG account?
If you’d like, you can request that your account be reclassified as ‘professional’. To check whether you could be eligible, see if you have the experience and portfolio required.
Why is spread betting and CFD leverage being restricted?
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) imposed a range of leverage restrictions aimed at retail traders in early 2018, to try to increase conduct standards across the industry and improve outcomes for investors.
1 Based on revenue (published financial statements, 2022).
2 The advertised offering is only available to individual clients capable of obtaining ‘professional’ status. This requires experience of trading relevant products on your own account above a certain size, experience of working within the financial sector for at least one year in a relevant position and/or a personal investment portfolio worth at least €500,000.
CFD, share dealing and stocks and shares ISA accounts provided by IG Markets Ltd, spread betting provided by IG Index Ltd. IG is a trading name of IG Markets Ltd (a company registered in England and Wales under number 04008957) and IG Index Ltd (a company registered in England and Wales under number 01190902). Registered address at Cannon Bridge House, 25 Dowgate Hill, London EC4R 2YA. Both IG Markets Ltd (Register number 195355) and IG Index Ltd (Register number 114059) are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
The information on this site is not directed at residents of the United States, Belgium or any particular country outside the UK and is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person in any country or jurisdiction where such distribution or use would be contrary to local law or regulation.
