ICM Capital Review

ICM Capital Brokers is a reputable forex trading service provider that gives traders access to different kinds of instruments in different markets such as shares, indices, and currencies. For commodity merchants, the broker provides agricultural, metals, and energies products. The firm opened its door in 2009 and has a head office in the United Kingdom, where all its businesses are operated from.

The company seems to concentrate on providing services to wealthy clients from North Africa and the Middle East, which has enabled ICM Capital Brokers to scoop multiple MENA awards in successive years. Although the broker accepts customers from all over the globe, it does not accept clientele from the United States.

Hence, if you are from or live in the US, you will need to look for other brokers that are licensed by the NFA and the CFTC. All other traders can easily open a demo or live account with ICM Capital Brokers.

Trading Account

Although ICM Capital Brokers targets institutional traders, the firm has not completely ruled out the likelihood of catering for retail traders. Its accounts start with a $200 minimum deposit, which is a bit high when you consider the modern-day norms, but it is reasonable.  This deposit will give you access to the following accounts:

ICM Standard Account

The Standard Account is provided for people who live outside of mainland China and Europe. This account provides trades access to shares, futures, commodities, and forex trading and is an STP account.

For Standard Account, the spreads ranges from 1 to 4 pips and the traders can SWAP freely; however, you might face a re-quote that will hinder your trading experience. 

ICM Direct Account

This account is provided for all traders, no matter where you live (except the US). Just like the standard account, the Direct Account provides access to futures, shares, commodities, and forex trading and is a dedicated ECN account.

The spread still ranges from 1 to 4 pips, but the clients enjoy tighter spreads when they trade on the ECN platform. Although the customers won’t face any re-quote when they SWAP, they will need to cough out the SWAP cost.

One of the benefits of this account is that there is no commission charged when a trader opens it using the ECN platform. Demo Account

There is also a Demo Account that traders can open and learn the basics of trading. Note that this is just a demo account and you will need to move to a live account in the near future.

The Firm and Security of Funds

ICM Capital Brokers is a trading firm that offers CFD and FOREX contracts on Bitcoin, Oil (Brent and WTI), precious metals, and Indices using the renowned MetaTrader4 platform. Just like we mentioned, it was established in 2009 and is a brand of the reputable ICM Capital Ltd, a subsidiary of Luxemburg-located ICM Holding SARL.

ICM Capital Ltd. is regulated and authorized by the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority), which means it is a transparent and secure firm. To get a license from this authority, UK-based brokers must hold at least $730,000 net in tangible assets so as to prove that they are financially stable and legitimate.

All the FCA-licensed firms are required to adhere to strict procedures and rules set the United Kingdom Watchdog: they should keep clients’ money in separate accounts from the company’s own fund and report to FCA regularly.

Additionally, FCA regulation provides an extra cover to the traders since it falls under the FSCS (Financial Services Compensation Scheme) where clients are entitled to a $50,000 compensation in case a broker becomes bankrupt.

Trading Conditions and Platforms

Minimum Deposit

The minimum deposit accepted by ICM Capital Brokers is $200, which is an average of the market. In comparison, FxPro requires $500 while HY Markets requires $50.

Leverage

The broker provides its clientele with a maximum leverage of 1:500, a slightly high ratio, but still, most brokers offer a similar leverage unless there is a cap set by the state. FxPro, for example, offers a leverage of up to 1:300 while HY Markets offers a maximum of 1:500. 

Please note that trading on a high leverage can create a hole in your account. Leverage can easily double your profit and easily triple your losses.

Spreads and Commissions

There are accounts with both floating and fixed spreads in the broker’s trading world. ICM Capital Brokers mainly offers a variable spread of 1.3 pips on USD/EUR, which is ideal for the forex market. Just for comparison, FxPro provides a spread of 1.4 pips on USD/EUR for its commission-free MetaTrader4 accounts.

On the flip side, the fixed spreads provide by ICM Capital are highly competitive, hitting 1.6 pips on USD/EUR. The firm does not charge commission as it pays itself via the price spread. To understand better, Plus500 offers a fixed spread of 2 pips on USD/EUR.

Trading Platforms

The broker provides just a single trading platform, but it is the famous MetaTrader4 platform. With this platform, you can choose from sub-platforms like MT4 for Mac, desktop, Android, and iPad/iPhone. You can also choose a 100% web-based platform.

MT4 is the industry-leading platform and is preferred by traders due to its amazing charting package, automated trade options with a professional advisor, extensive back-testing environment, and one-click trading.

Promotions

From time to time ICM Capital Brokers provides attractive promotions to welcome new clients and say “thank you” to members. For instance, it provides a 10% credit bonus to a maximum of $1,000 on every new deposit made of over $2,000.

This bonus is exclusively for trading purposes until a set amount of trading has been achieved, after which you can withdraw the bonus and convert it into cash.

Briefly about ICM Capital

If you are looking for a reputable company that has years of forex trading, then the ICM Capital Brokers might be what you need. The firm has proven over the years to be a great firm and has even won multiple awards for its outstanding work. It is also licensed by one of the best regulators in the world, meaning that you don’t need to worry about anything when trading.