How does IG make money?
We make most of our money through our spreads, with a small proportion of our revenue coming from other fees. We aim to build lasting relationships with traders, and provide a range of tools to help you trade profitable.
Call 010 500 8624 or email newaccounts.za@ig.com to talk about opening a trading account. We're around 24 hours a day from 9am Saturday to 11pm Friday.
Contact us: 0105008624
We want our clients to trade profitably
We make most of our money from the spreads that clients pay to trade with us
We’ve invested heavily in tools to help our clients trade profitably
If our clients’ account balances go negative, we bring them back to zero at no extra cost1
We hedge only when overall client exposure is skewed in one direction
We aim to build long-lasting relationships with our clients based on trust
Where does IG’s income come from?
The main way we earn money on our leveraged products – eg CFDs – is through the spreads that we wrap around the market price.
The costs of any given trade are factored into the offer (buy) and bid (sell) prices – so you’ll always buy slightly higher than the market price, and sell slightly below it.
If the FTSE 100 is trading at 6545.5 and has a one point spread, for example, it might have an offer price of 6546 and a bid price of 6545.
You might also need to pay other fees when trading with us:
- Share CFD commission
- FX conversion
- Overnight fees
You can find out all about these on our charges page.
Does IG aim to profit from client losses?
No. Our business model is based on providing individuals with the opportunity to trade the world’s financial markets, in exchange for fair and proportionate transaction fees. It is a well-known fact that trading successfully is difficult, and most speculative traders tend to lose. However, we do not typically benefit from trading losses that an unsuccessful client may experience.
Mostly, our clients offset each other’s positions. For example if client A buys one lot of the DAX and client B sells one lot of the DAX, both sides of the trade are covered. This means IG is not exposed to the profit or loss of either client. Instead, we make our money via the spread (i.e. the transaction fee) that each client pays to trade.
Sometimes, a large majority of clients will trade in one direction. When this happens, we will protect our exposure to risk by hedging in the underlying market. For example, if client A and client B buy the DAX, we may buy actual DAX futures. This then covers the amount we will pay out if both clients are successful.
Resources to assist your trading
We’ve invested in plenty of resources to ensure we offer the right balance of educational tools and personal support for your trading.
You’ll have a dedicated account manager on hand during your initial time with us
Find answers to your general account queries on our help and support site
Our friendly team is available from 8am Saturday to 10pm Friday
Get free buy and sell signals, live Reuters news and expert analysis
Interactive courses and live events to help you develop your trading skills at your own pace
Share ideas, opportunities and advice online with like-minded traders
Try out strategies with nothing to lose on our free, permanent demo
Benefit from negative balance protection1 and cap losses with our free-to-place guaranteed stops2
We consistently aim to get you the best possible result when executing orders on your behalf
Open an account now
*Demo accounts are only available for spread betting and CFD trading.
Open an account now
Fast execution on a huge range of markets
Enjoy flexible access to 17,000 global markets, with reliable execution
React faster with powerful technology
Our platform and apps are intuitive and highly responsive, so trading opportunities are always within reach
Grow your confidence with an established provider
We’re a FTSE 250 company that’s been leading our industry for nearly 50 years, so our expertise is second to none
*Demo accounts are only available for spread betting and CFD trading.
Open an account now
Open an account now
Fast execution on a huge range of markets
Enjoy flexible access to 17,000 global markets, with reliable execution
React faster with powerful technology
Our platform and apps are intuitive and highly responsive, so trading opportunities are always within reach
Grow your confidence with an established provider
We’re a FTSE 250 company that’s been leading our industry for nearly 50 years, so our expertise is second to none
You might be interested in…
All retail client funds are held in segregated bank accounts, in line with FCA rules.
Find out how we aim to achieve the best result for you for every trade.
Discover the tools we offer to help you manage your exposure.
1 Negative balance protection applies to trading-related debt only, and is not available to professional traders.
2 You’ll pay a small premium if your guaranteed stop is triggered.
Contact us
Interested in opening an account?
Contact 010 500 8624 or
Want to check on your application's progress? Email
Clients: Help and support
WhatsApp: Click here
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