HFM (HF Markets) vs Octa (formerly OctaFX)
A side-by-side comparison built from each broker's own published record — licenses checked against official registers, terms quoted from their own pages, with the source linked on every claim.
| Regulation | FCA · CySEC · FSCA · FSA · CMA | CySEC · MISA · FSCA |
| License no. | FCA 801701 (HF Markets (UK) Ltd) CySEC 183/12 (HF Markets (Europe) Ltd, HE 277582) FSCA 46632 (HF Markets SA (PTY) Ltd) FSA SD015 (HF Markets (Seychelles) Ltd) CMA 155 (HFM Investments Ltd) | CySEC 372/18 MISA T2023320 FSCA 51913 |
| Founded | 2010 | 2011 |
| Minimum deposit | $0 | $25 |
| EUR/USD spread from | 0.0 pips (Zero account, "From 0 on Forex"; Pro from 0.6, InfinityX from 0.3, Cent/Premium from 1.4 — hfm.com/int/en/trading-accounts) | from 0.6 pips, floating (OctaTrader and MT5 accounts, published as "spreads from 0.6 pips on popular pairs" — no EURUSD-specific figure published) |
| Leverage | Offshore — no financial regulator named: InfinityX unlimited; Cent, Zero, Pro and Premium 1:2000 (subject to adjustment per the terms) | |
| Gulf Payments | ||
| Platforms | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, HFM Platform (browser, TradingView charts), HFM WebTrader, HFM App (mobile) | OctaTrader, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 |
| Broker-published claim | Withdrawals are processed 24/7. "Withdrawals submitted before 10:00am server time are processed on the same business day between 7:00am and 5:00pm server time. Withdrawals submitted after 10:00am server time, will be processed on the following business day between 7:00am and 5:00pm server time." [Source] | Withdrawals usually take no longer than 3 hours. Per method: 1-3 hours to approve the withdrawal, then up to 5 minutes (cards), up to 30 minutes (crypto), or up to 1 hour (local banks) to transfer the funds. No fees or commission on our side whatsoever. [Source] |
| Withdrawal methods | bank wire transfer, credit/debit card, Skrill, Neteller, Fasapay, crypto | Visa/Mastercard cards, bank transfer / local banks (e.g. THB, IDR, MYR, NGN rails), Skrill, Neteller, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Tether USDT (ERC20), Tether USDT (TRC20) |
| Crypto deposits/withdrawals | No | Yes |
| Islamic Accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Measured by us | Testing in progress | Testing in progress |
| Accepts clients from | Kenya | Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, India, Thailand, Germany, Italy |
| Open account | Open account |
We do not name a winner here. The two records sit side by side because the right answer depends on where you live, what you trade, and which entity would onboard you — all of which the table shows.
By Country
- HFM (HF Markets) Yes / Octa (formerly OctaFX) No: Kenya
- Octa (formerly OctaFX) Yes / HFM (HF Markets) No: Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, India, Thailand, Germany, Italy
Is HFM (HF Markets) or Octa (formerly OctaFX) better?
Neither is better in the abstract. Compare the rows that apply to you: whether each broker accepts clients from your country, which entity and regulator you would be onboarded under, the minimum deposit, and how withdrawals work on the rail you would actually use.
Which is safer, HFM (HF Markets) or Octa (formerly OctaFX)?
Safety follows the entity that holds your money, not the brand. Both records list every regulator and license number each broker publishes — check which entity serves your country, then verify that license on the regulator's own register.