The minimum deposit is the minimum initial deposit required by the broker. Some brokers offer low minimum deposits or have no minimum deposit requirements, but what is the significance of a minimum deposit.
A trader may start with a demo account. A demo account requires no deposit, as it comes with virtual funds, which is not real money and is there for uses such as practicing trading and trying out the broker and its features. However at some stage, the trader may wish to trade on a live account. To do so, requires a number of steps, including depositing. This sum is used to trade markets. The broker may set a minimum deposit requirement. This is the minimum sum which can be sent initially to trade on the account.
The minimum deposit will create an initial value for the account. This account size is important in that it determines how large a position can be taken, or how many positions can be open, or even if a position can be opened. Accounts have built in fail-safes, such as stop-out levels which will close positions if the equity in the account falls below a certain level.
When a trade is opened, it adds or subtracts from the account size as the market gains or subtracts in value. This change in value is not realised until the position is closed, however the amount of the deficit created by the trade cannot fall below a certain level (the stop-out). Traders can use risk management to help ensure that stop-outs are not initiated, including stop-losses and manual ending of trades.
Increased leverage is a way to trade larger positions with a given account size, but increasing leverage increases risk, as the size of the deficit will also increase with increased leverge. Forex is a complex market and can move in waves of retracements against the traded direction, as well as evidence volatility and sharp moves, which can alter the direction of the trade, so there needs to be room in the account to withstand these kinds of market effects.
To send a minimum deposit a payment provider is used, these themselves may have a minimum deposit. However the broker's minimum deposit will normally be aligned with at least one payment provider's minimum.
A small minimum deposit may not be enough to trade, unless there is a sufficiently low minimum trade or order size offered by the broker. Forex micro lots are typically offered as a minimum order size, but this may not be sufficient to comfortably trade.
One exception is brokers which allow very small trade sizes (for example Forex 'Cent' accounts, which may also be called Micro accounts). In this case, the trader may be able to trade with a small minimum deposit, however any moves will be small in effect in either gains or deficits, as the trade size is a factor in determining the value of each move. Each minimum increment or move is called a pip and the figure for Forex spreads is also a pip value.
Some brokers have no minimum deposit requirement. This provides flexibility in terms of the amount a trader can send. It also lets traders take a look at the features of a live account. The actual sum required to trade can therefore depend on a range of factors, including leverage and minimum trade size.
One final point is that what is a low minimum deposit is to some extent relative. However, there is a sense in which a low minimum deposit tends to be less that $100. $100 is a common figure required by brokers for a minimum deposit. If the aim of a low deposit is to check out the broker, then a demo account can be used, with no deposit required. This page ranks a list of 10 brokers taking these factors into account to the extent this may be possible when considering their minimum deposit requirement.
1 XM
- Minimum deposit: $5
- Online trading platforms: MT4, MT5
XM has a low minimum deposit for its Micro, its Standard and its XM Zero account of $5. The Micro account is the only account which offers very small trade sizes, however it is in fact a Micro account of the standard Forex Micro account (depending on the platform). This means that trade sizes down to 0.0001 lots are offered on MT4 (a standard Forex micro lot is 0.01 lots). As traders may not want to trade with small gains, these accounts are more generally used to test out ideas and EA robots on a live account.
2 ThinkMarkets
- Minimum deposit: None
- Online trading platforms: MT4, MT5, ThinkTrader
ThinkMarkets actually has no minimum deposit requirement for its Standard account. Its Standard account can be used with MT4, MT5 and ThinkTrader. The Standard account offers tight Forex spreads from 0.4 pips, without a commission charge.
The minimum trade size at ThinkMarkets is 0.01 Forex lots, thus the leverage available can be a factor in the amount required to deposit.
Forex leverage varies depending on the trader's region and increasing leverage increases risk. There is also a ThinkZero account, with a $500 minimum deposit. The ThinkZero account can offer Forex spreads from 0 plus a commission charge.
3 FXTM
- Minimum deposit: $10
- Online trading platforms: MT4, MT5
FXTM offers a low minimum deposit of $10 on its MT4 Micro account. This is an account with Micro lots of standard Micro lots, thus offering Forex trade sizes down to 0.0001 lots. In the EEA, the minimum deposit for this account is $50. For Forex higher volume traders, FXTM provides accounts offering both MT4 and in some regions MT5, but with a minimum deposit of $500.
4 easyMarkets
- Minimum deposit: $25
- Online trading platforms: MT4, MT5, Web Trader, Trading View
easyMarkets offers fixed Forex spreads on most of its platforms, from 0.7 on MT4 and 0.3 on MT5, both without a commission charge. easyMarkets has a low minimum deposit in some regions of $25 (including Global Markets and the EEA). easyMarkets's minimum Forex trade size is 0.01 lots.
5 FXPRIMUS
- Minimum deposit: $15
- Online trading platforms: MT4, MT5, cTrader
FXPRIMUS offers one accounts with a low minimum deposit of $15, this is the PrimusCLASSIC account. The PrimusCLASSIC account provides both MT4 and MT5.
6 FXCC
- Minimum deposit: None
- Online trading platform: MT4
FXCC can offer its ECN XL account with no minimum deposit requirement (in some regions). The ECN XL account provides Forex spreads from 0, without a commission charge.
7 Deriv
- Minimum deposit: $5
- Online trading platforms: MT5, Deriv X
Deriv offers Forex trading on MT5 and its user friendly Deriv X platform. The minimum deposit for trading at Deriv is $5. Deriv can also offer relatively high leverage, depending on the trader's region. For MT5 traders, Deriv offers the Signal Center by Acuity.
8 RoboForex
- Minimum deposit: $10
- Online trading platforms: MT4, MT5, R StocksTrader
RoboForex has a low minimum deposit of $10 on all its trading accounts except for its R StocksTrader account, which has a minimum deposit of $100. The accounts with a $10 minimum deposit include the ProCent account, with a very low minimum deposit. For the other accounts, RoboForex can offer relatively high leverage.
9 Oanda
- Minimum deposit: None
- Online trading platforms: MT4, MT5, fxTrade
Oanda Global has no minimum deposit requirement for its Standard and Core accounts. The Core account can provide spreads from 0.2, plus a commission charge. Oanda is a long standing MT4 broker and also provides MT5 and its fxTrade mobile app. The minimum trade size is 0.01 lots, however Oanda Global can provide leverage up to 200:1.
10 Trading 212
- Minimum deposit: $10
- Online trading platforms: Trading 212 Platform
Trading 212 offers 180+ Forex Pairs and has a minimum deposit of $10 for its CFD trading account (which offers Forex trading). Trading 212's platform is user friendly and offers a wide range of other markets to trade.
Traders may wish to consider other features of brokers than minimum deposit. These can include platform offerings MT4 or MT5 or a user friendly platform or even low spreads. User friendly platforms typically allow the trader to try them out as a demo platform upon initial sign up and may allow the trader to switch back and forth between the demo and live account, to practice trading and test out ideas.
