Best Forex brokers 2023

What to Look For in a Best Forex Broker in 2023?

Those considering venturing into the elaborate Forex market may be wondering if currency trading can make a person wealthy. Some experts may say “no”, while others may respond “yes,” but with reservations. Forex trading with a broker requires pouring out money, doing thorough research, being courageous to take risks, and picking the best partner. The Forex market is not the perfect place for would-be billionaires. Just like any other job, becoming a successful Forex trader entails hard work, dedication, discipline, diligence, perseverance, patience, and time management.

Even the most successful investors, like Warren Buffett, Carl Icahn, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch, and George Soros have lost large amounts of money and committed trading mistakes at some point in their careers. No investor is spared from investing blunders but everyone can learn more from failures than successes. It is important to reiterate, Forex trading is not the easiest way to amass riches, as one has to be prepared to take the plunge before reaping the fruits of the labor. Success with Forex trading will not happen overnight. There are no shortcuts to Forex trading. Not even the heavens can guarantee claims of a get-rich-quick scheme as one would think.

Finding the best Forex trading broker in 2023 has never been, is, and will never be an easy feat. Conducting thorough research before picking the right Forex broker is critical. Going through all the brokers in the market can be a daunting task and entrusting currency trading to any entity requires a tremendous amount of trust and confidence.

TWO KINDS OF FOREX BROKER

Electronic Communications Network (ECNs) is an alternative trading system that digitally links market participants to buy or sell currencies, stocks, and other financial instruments with one another. Today there are many excellent ECN brokers on the Forex market. ECNs flash orders through a consolidated quote system which the public can view. Such entities rule out tapping a third party to facilitate transactions aside from helping investors make immediate and automatic transactions beyond trading hours.

Conversely, Market Makers display buy and sell rates for a guaranteed number of shares in a move to compete directly for customer order flows. To stay in the game, Market Makers Forex brokers must keep both bids and ask prices within a predetermined spread. Specifically, a market surfaces when the designated market maker sets the bidding price and offers over time, to make sure there are ample buyers and sellers for every market order. Market makers act as catalysts in the secondary market for beefing up liquidity and, subsequently, long-term growth in the currency market.

FOUR SPIN-OFFS OF ECN AND MM

• Of course, some may have heard about:
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  • Non-Dealing Desk (NDD)
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  • Direct Market Access (DMA)
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  • Dealing Desk (DD)
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  • Straight-Through Processing (STP)

DD provides an avenue for easy access to the interbank market, a market for trading foreign currencies. This is a venue for currency dealers at a bank or financial institution to do business. Banks and financial firms also have DDs to facilitate trades in securities and other financial instruments outside the currency market. It is typical to have many DDs across the globe.

DMA is an electronic trading venue that allows investors to utilize financial instruments and order books of an exchange that processes securities transactions regularly. Sell-side entities usually offer this type of market, which requires using intricate technology. Although trades are swiftly made, an intermediary Forex trading brokerage company handles the transaction. In the 1990s, brokerage firms shifted to using DMA instead of market-making quotes for trade processing. Review the full list of the best DMA Forex companies to compare them.

NDD states that, if no dealing desk system is available, positions are immediately offset and then sent to the interbank. Unlike DDs, NDDs have floating spreads, and liquidity allows providers to set the price. You can find all NDD Forex brokers on TopBrokers.com. In simple terms, NDDs, either an STP or ECN, are a mere bridge between two parties as brokers do not transmit their clients’ orders via DDs.

STP is a process embarked on by financial firms to boost the processing time of any transaction without any human involvement. The use of STP dates back to the early 1990s.

BEST FOREX BROKER'S OFFERINGS AND SERVICES

As mentioned earlier, currency pair offering, account details (initial deposit, ease of deposits/withdrawals, commissions/spreads, leverage, and margin), customer service, regulatory compliance, and trading platforms are some important points to consider when making what is considered one of the most difficult decisions in Forex trading: finding the best Forex broker.

Currency Pair Offering

Forex market participants may select from a wide range of currency pairs. Experts advise traders, especially new ones, to pick and concentrate on certain currency pairs.

The most common currency pairs used by traders are categorized as major pairs. These are the EUR/USD, which is the most famous among traders, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, and USD/CAD. The minor pairs include EUR/AUD, GBP/JPY, EUR/GBP, and CHF/JPY. There’s also what we call the cross currency or exotic pairs which consist of a major currency and a developing country’s currency. A few samples are USD/HKD, EUR/TRY, and the NZD/SGD

Although there are many currency pairs available, starting with one or a few pairs at a time can make trading easier. This allows traders to be more focused on analyzing data for a given pair.

Account Details

Account offerings of FX brokers vary depending on initial payment methods for deposit and withdrawal, commissions/spreads, leverage, and margin.

• Initial Deposit – When it began, only big banks, companies, and wealthy investors had access to the FX market. But today, for as low as $50, anyone who aspires to succeed in trading can take part in it. Forex companies offer several types of trading accounts as well. The micro account, which is recommended for newbies, requires a minimum deposit of $50, the standard account’s required initial deposit is $500, and, lastly, the VIP account starts at $10,000.
  
  

• Deposits/Withdrawals – Forex trading Brokers have varying policies for deposits and withdrawals. Of course, any deposit or withdrawal made into an account will require a fee payment. Debit and credit card payments are common, as well as online payment systems such as PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller. Clients may use the same method for both deposits and withdrawals.
  
  

• Commissions/Spreads – How do brokers generate money in the Forex market? Through commissions and spreads. A commission is a fee levied by a Forex broker, while the difference between the bid and ask price is called the spread. Some Forex brokers insist that they solely rely on spreads to earn profits. Spread can either be floating or fixed. To lure clients, most Forex brokers claim that their spreads on major pairs are fixed.
  
  

• Leverage – Leverage allows traders to expand their trading power. In essence, brokers lend a certain amount to bolster their potential gain. It is often dubbed as a two-edged sword, as it can either boost or diminish one’s account. Hence, investors are advised to utilize this investment strategy with vigilance and caution.
  
  

• Margin – A relatively new concept for Forex investors, a margin account is akin to equity markets. It is a brokerage account wherein the customer borrows money from its broker to continue currency trading. Trade size sets an investor’s margin requirement.

PAYMENT METHODS OF FOREX COMPANIES

In addition to flexible and competitive trading conditions, traders today are after ease and convenience when depositing and withdrawing funds. A good Forex broker provides clients with various payment options, allowing them to choose the one that suits their needs. Debit and credit cards, as well as bank wire options, are just a few of the default payment options used by traders. Again, thanks to technological advancements, several electronic payment systems have emerged. PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, and Webmoney are the most commonly used methods.  

When selecting a payment option, consider the commission or fee charged by the mentioned payment systems. It is also vital that the safety and security of funds are taken into consideration. Forex trading brokers, at times, may waive any deposit fee to encourage their clients to cash in more money.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

To establish trust and loyalty, the best FX companies have also focused on the importance of having a very good customer service department. Whether handling an inquiry or a complaint, they should be able to provide a quick response and resolve the matter as soon as possible. The majority of online best Forex brokers are now stepping up and providing 24-hour customer support.

Given the complexity of the currency market, it’s easy to get confused when clients bombard customer service staff with too many questions. To meet the needs of their clients well, and to achieve maximum customer satisfaction, Forex brokers meticulously train their customer agents for weeks. This allows the customer service representatives to respond to a client’s inquiry regarding currency trading or a broker’s product or service in a quality and timely manner. The customer service representatives should be very knowledgeable about Forex trading, and the products or services being offered, to successfully deal with problems encountered by a client and suggest possible solutions.

Aside from remaining composed and organized, one must also be a good listener to be a good Forex customer service representative. Many customer service representatives are merely trained to “go through the script,” and they may forget that they need to truly listen. They should not interrupt the client in the middle of a call. A good rule of conversation is to let the customer do all the talking at first. Then the representative can assume the role of a troubleshooter by asking the right questions about the concern and figuring out how it can be solved.

Brokers should ensure that it is easy for a customer to call (or in some instances, send an email) to a customer service agent, and it should not involve too much time just to get through to an agent. Clients tend to be impatient, especially when they have questions or concerns. The key to shortening and making a customer’s waiting time more bearable for them lies in strengthening the customer support group, responding promptly to queries via email or social media accounts, and attending to their inquiries as soon as possible. It would be a bonus if the Forex broker could provide some sort of entertainment to kill boredom while customers are waiting to be attended to.

REGULATORY COMPLIANCE OF FOREX TRADING BROKERS

The best Forex broker in the 2023 year should be a registered and licensed entity before it begins to operate and advertise its business in a specific area. Governments, through financial regulators, have different sets of rules and regulations, which a licensed or registered entity should comply with. These “watchdogs,” as some would call them, basically supervise and regulate banks, Forex and stocks brokers, financial companies, and investment firms. This oversight is in place to protect the public, and to maintain the financial system’s integrity. Regulators secure the global market by inspecting companies and firms, and probing illicit activities, if any. Forex brokers indicate on their corporate website which regulator and entity supervise their activities.

Below are some of the most well-known financial regulators: