Overview of Interactive Brokers

Interactive Brokers, founded in the United States, offers a wide array of trading assets including stocks, ETFs, forex, bonds, options, and futures, providing traders with various opportunities across global markets.

However, risks have been raised about its legitimacy, with reports of the platform being identified as a suspicious clone. Traders are directly impacted by the platform's regulatory status, influencing oversight, transparency, and legal protections. Adherence to regulatory standards instills confidence among traders regarding the platform's reliability and security, while any suspicion or regulatory ambiguity may undermine trust and deter participation, emphasizing the importance of due diligence.

Is Interactive Brokers legit or a scam？

Interactive Brokers is identified as Suspicious Clone under various regulatory bodies such as the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom, the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI), and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

However, the presence of “Suspicious Clone” designations in some regions suggests potential regulatory risks. Traders on the platform are directly impacted by the regulatory status, as it influences the level of oversight, transparency, and legal protections afforded to their investments.

Adherence to regulatory standards instills confidence among traders regarding the platform's reliability and security, while any suspicion or regulatory ambiguity may undermine trust and deter participation. Thus, traders are likely to favor jurisdictions where Interactive Brokers maintains clear and reputable regulatory standing, ensuring a safer trading environment.

What are Clone Brokers？

The prevalence of clone brokers is increasingly alarming, as deceptive entities exploit the names of reputable firms to lure unsuspecting clients into believing they are trading with regulated forex firms.

These fraudulent companies go to great lengths, even utilizing the license numbers of legitimate brokers, to deceive traders into opening accounts with them. Remaining vigilant is paramount to avoid falling prey to such scams. Additionally, these unscrupulous entities resort to aggressive tactics, akin to boiler room operations, pressuring clients into opening accounts or increasing their deposits.

It's crucial to heed the adage: if something sounds too good to be true, it likely is. Traders must exercise caution and conduct thorough research before engaging with any brokerage firm to safeguard their investments and financial security.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Wide range of tradable assets: Interactive Brokers offers an extensive selection of tradable assets, including stocks, ETFs, forex, bonds, options, and futures. This diversity provides traders with ample opportunities to diversify their portfolios and explore various investment strategies, catering to different risk appetites and objectives.

• Access to global markets: The platform grants users access to a broad range of global markets, enabling them to trade securities and currencies from around the world. This global reach allows traders to capitalize on international market trends, economic developments, and geopolitical events, enhancing their trading flexibility and potential for profit.

Cons:

• Identified as Suspicious Clone: Some users have reported instances where Interactive Brokers was identified as a suspicious clone, potentially raising risks about the platform's legitimacy and trustworthiness. Such allegations can undermine user confidence and deter participation in trading activities.

• Limited customer support options: Interactive Brokers may offer limited options for customer support, which can lead to delays in addressing user inquiries, resolving issues, or providing assistance when needed. This lack of robust support channels may frustrate users and hinder their overall trading experience.

• Potential for technical glitches: Like any online platform, Interactive Brokers is susceptible to technical glitches or system failures, which can disrupt trading activities, cause delays in order execution, or lead to inaccuracies in account information. These technical issues may impede users' ability to trade effectively and impact their overall experience on the platform.

• Risk of exposure to scams: Users may face the risk of exposure to scams or fraudulent activities associated with Interactive Brokers, such as clone brokers attempting to deceive traders. Falling victim to such schemes can result in financial losses and damage to one's reputation, highlighting the importance of vigilance and due diligence when engaging with the platform.

Market Instruments

Interactive Brokers offers a wide range of tradable financial instruments on its platform.

Traders can access a variety of assets including Stocks, ETFs, Forex, Funds, Bonds, Options, Futures, CFDs, Cryptocurrencies, Warrants, and Structured Products.

This extensive selection provides traders with opportunities to diversify their investment portfolios and pursue different trading strategies across global markets.

With access to such a broad array of instruments, traders have the flexibility to capitalize on market opportunities and manage risk effectively.

Deposit & Withdrawal

Interactive Brokers offers a variety of payment methods to fund your account:

• Bank wire transfer: This is the most common and preferred method. It's free for most currencies.

• ACH transfer: This is another electronic transfer option available for US accounts. It's also free.

• Check: You can mail a check to Interactive Brokers. However, there may be processing fees and delays associated with this method.

• Wire transfer from another brokerage: You can transfer funds from another brokerage account to your Interactive Brokers account. This may be subject to fees from both brokers.

• Bill pay: This option is available for US accounts only. It allows you to pay your Interactive Brokers account from your bank's online bill pay service.

• Third-party deposits: Interactive Brokers generally discourages and rejects third-party deposits due to potential fraud and money laundering risks.

There is no minimum deposit required to open an Interactive Brokers account. This makes it a good option for beginners who want to start with a small amount of money.

Customer Support

Interactive Brokers provides the following contact information for customer support:

1. Twitter: @IBKR

2. Facebook: Interactive Brokers

3. Instagram: Interactive Brokers

4. YouTube: Interactive Brokers

5. LinkedIn: Interactive Brokers

These social media platforms serve as channels for reaching out to Interactive Brokers for support and assistance. However, Interactive Brokers' customer support lacks efficiency and responsiveness. Traders often encounter significant delays in receiving assistance, with support tickets remaining unresolved for extended periods. Communication channels such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn are available, but their effectiveness in addressing customer risks is questionable.

Exposure

Users have reported a single instance of exposure related to a pyramid scheme complaint, which unveiled a potential scam on the Interactive Brokers platform.

The complaint alleges that the platform induced clients to participate in activities, promising withdrawal options upon event completion. However, upon attempting to withdraw profits, users encountered obstacles, including unexpected tax requirements not deducted from the platform. The inability to access funds and unresponsive customer service exacerbates the situation for affected users. Such exposure to fraudulent activities undermines trust and confidence in the platform, potentially dissuading traders from engaging in further transactions.

Conclusion

This instance of Interactive Brokers is suspected to be a clone operated by a company known as Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. Notably, this particular iteration of Interactive Brokers lacks regulation, posing potential risks for traders. Therefore, it is advisable for traders to refrain from engaging with this broker.

Overview of Axiory

Established in 2012, Axiory is a forex broker registered in Belize that claims to offer online trading services for a range of financial instruments, including forex, gold and metals, oil and energies, CFD indices, CFD stocks, exhcange stocks, exchange ETFs with leverage up to 1:2000.

An interesting feature of Axiory is its commitment to social responsibility. The company has established the Axiory Intelligence initiative, which is a research-based program that aims to promote education and social responsibility in the financial industry.

Axiory also supports various social causes through its Axiory Care program. In terms of trading platforms, Axiory offers multiple choices, including the popular MetaTrader 4 platform, MetaTrader 5 platform, as well as cTrader, with its proprietary trading app called MyAxiory App.

Besides, this broker also offers advanced charting tools, technical analysis indicators, and other features to help traders quickly acquaint themselves with online trading.

Pros and Cons

One of Axiory's biggest strengths is the wide range of trading instruments available. Traders can choose from a diverse selection of assets, including major and minor currency pairs, popular stocks, and popular indices. Additionally, the broker offers commodities such as oil and gold, which provide traders with opportunities to diversify their portfolios. Another significant advantage of Axiory is their multiple account types of low minimum deposits.

On the downside, Axiory's regulation is only offshore by FSC in Belize, which is not a top-tier regulator. Plus, no 7/24 online customer support available, and clients from Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Croatia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Kenya, Mali, Monaco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Philippines, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Yemen are not allowed.

Is Axiory Legit?

Axiory is authorized and offshore regulated by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) in Belize. This regulatory body is responsible for ensuring that financial institutions operate in a transparent and fair manner, which can provide traders with some reassurance about the legitimacy of the broker. Axiory's adherence to regulations also means that the company must follow certain guidelines, such as maintaining sufficient capital reserves, which can help to protect traders in the event of any financial instability.

However, it is important to note that the IFSC is not a highly-respected regulatory body in the financial industry, which may lead some traders to question the level of oversight and protection provided. Additionally, the regulatory requirements of the FSC may not be as stringent as those of other regulatory bodies, which could result in less protection for traders.

Market Instruments

Axiory offers a range of market instruments to cater to the diverse trading needs of its clients.

Firstly, the broker provides access to the forex market, which is the largest financial market in the world, enabling traders to trade currency pairs with tight spreads and competitive pricing.

Secondly, Axiory offers exchange-traded stocks and ETFs, which provide traders with exposure to a variety of companies and industries across the globe.

Additionally, Axiory offers CFDs on stocks and indices, providing traders with the ability to trade on the price movements of individual stocks or entire market indices.

Finally, Axiory offers trading in oil and energy products, which can provide traders with exposure to the commodities market and its price fluctuations

Account Types/Fees

Axiory offers a diverse range of trading accounts to cater to the needs of traders with varying experience levels and trading styles. The broker offers five types of trading accounts, including NANO, STANDARD, MAX, TERA, and ALPHA.

Demo Accounts

Axiory offers demo accounts to its clients, which are a great tool for traders to practice trading without risking real money. The demo accounts are designed to replicate the live trading environment, allowing traders to familiarize themselves with the platform, test different trading strategies, and gain experience before trading with real money.

Axiory's demo accounts are free and come with up to $10,000 virtual funds that traders can use to simulate trading. The demo accounts are available for all account types and provide traders with access to the same trading instruments, platforms, and tools as live accounts. The demo accounts are not time-limited, which means there is no expiry date on your demo accounts.

Islamic Accounts

Axiory offers Islamic accounts, also known as swap-free accounts, which are designed for traders who follow the Islamic faith and can not receive or pay interest due to religious reasons. These accounts comply with Shariah law and do not charge or pay any overnight interest (swap) fees on positions held open for more than 24 hours.

Islamic accounts at Axiory offer the same features as standard trading accounts, including access to all trading instruments and platforms, customer support, and educational resources. The only difference is that Islamic accounts operate on a commission-based structure, and there are no overnight swap fees charged or credited to the account.

To open an Islamic account with Axiory, traders need to submit a request to the customer support team, and the account will be verified and set up within 24 hours. It is important to note that Axiory reserves the right to revoke the swap-free status if there is evidence of abuse or misuse of the account.

How to Open an Account?

Step 1: To open an account with Axiory, interested clients can simply navigate to the broker's website and click on the “Start Now” button.

Step 2: This will lead you to a registration page where you will be prompted to provide your personal information, including name, email address, and phone number. Additionally, you will need to choose the account type.

Step 3: After submitting the registration form, you will receive an email with a link to verify their account. Once the verification process is complete, you can proceed to fund your account via one of the payment options available.

Leverage

Axiory offers a range of leverage options for traders, depending on their chosen account type. The maximum leverage ranges from 1:50 to 1:2000 on the Max account, while 1:50-1:1000 on the Nano/Standard/Tera Account.

However, it's worth noting that higher leverage also comes with higher risk, and traders should be aware of the potential consequences of trading with a high leverage ratio. It's important to carefully consider your own risk tolerance and trading strategy before deciding on a leverage ratio for your account.

Trading Platform

Axiory offers its clients access to several trading platforms, including the popular MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) platforms, as well as the cTrader platform and the MyAxiory mobile app.

The MetaTrader platforms are widely used by traders worldwide and offer advanced charting capabilities, multiple time frames, and a wide range of technical indicators and analysis tools. The cTrader platform, on the other hand, is known for its fast execution speeds and advanced order management features, making it a popular choice for scalpers and high-frequency traders.

The MyAxiory mobile app allows traders to access their accounts and trade on-the-go using their mobile devices. The app is user-friendly and features real-time price quotes, charting tools, and the ability to place orders and manage positions.

Deposit & Withdrawal

Deposit

Axiory accepts deposits via Visa, JCB, UnionPay, Bank Transfer, Neteller, Skrill, and ThunderX Pay.

There is no deposit fees charged if you deposit using Visa, JCB, UnionPay, and Bank Transfer, but payment fees may be charged by the payment method provider if you deposit via Neteller, Skrill, and ThunderX Pay.

As for the deposit processing time, most deposits are instant, while bank transfers require 3-10 business days and ThunderX Pay requires ip to 15 minutes after confirmation.

Withdrawal

Axiory accepts withdrawals via Visa, JCB, UnionPay, Bank Transfer, Sticpay, Neteller, Skrill, ThunderX Pay.

There is no fees for Visa, JCB, UnionPay, and Sticpay, while withdrawal via other methods may be charged fees.

The processing time for withdrawals varies depending on the payment method used, with e-wallets (instant) typically being the fastest and bank transfers (3-10 business days) taking the longest.

Customer Support

Traders can contact the support team via email, phone, live chat, or contact form. The broker also provides a comprehensive FAQ section on its website, where traders can find answers to common questions related to trading, account management, and more.

Conclusion

Axiory is a forex broker offering a variety of trading instruments, account types, and educational resources to its clients. The broker's trading conditions, such as high spreads and commissions, may not be ideal for all traders, but its leverage options can benefit those looking for higher returns. However, Axiory's weakness lies in lack of top-tier regulation. Ultimately, traders should carefully consider their individual trading needs and goals before choosing Axiory as their broker.

FAQs

Is Axiory a regulated broker?

Yes, Axiory is authorized and offshore regulated by the International Financial Services Commission (FSC) in Belize.

What is the minimum deposit required to open an account with Axiory?

Just $10.

What trading platforms are available at Axiory?

Axiory offers the popular MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) trading platforms, as well as cTrader and MyAxiory App.

Does Axiory offer Islamic accounts?

Yes, Axiory offers swap-free Islamic accounts for traders who follow Shariah law.

What is the maximum leverage offered by Axiory?

Up to 1:2000.