OANDA 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 | CFTC / NFA · FCA · ASIC · MAS · CIRO · Kanto Local Financial Bureau · BVI Financial Services Commission · KNF | CySEC · MISA · FSCA |
| License no. | CFTC / NFA NFA No. 0325821 FCA No. 542574 ASIC AFSL No. 412981 (ABN 26 152 088 349) MAS Capital Markets Services Licence (licence number not printed; Co. Reg. No 200704926K) CIRO not printed on site (CIRO member; CIPF-protected) Kanto Local Financial Bureau Kinsho Registration No. 2137 BVI Financial Services Commission SIBA/L/20/1130 (company no. 2026433) KNF authorization of April 26, 2004 (KPWiG-4021-54-1/2004) | CySEC 372/18 MISA T2023320 FSCA 51913 |
| Founded | 1996 | 2011 |
| Minimum deposit | $0 | $25 |
| EUR/USD spread from | EUR/USD from 1.0 pip (spread-only Standard account) or 0.1 pip + commission (Core pricing) — OANDA Global Markets (BVI), https://www.oanda.com/bvi-en/cfds/our-pricing/ | 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 | FCA (UK): Retail 30:1 major forex (3.33% margin); 20:1 non-major forex and gold (5.00% margin) BVI: 200:1 | |
| Gulf Payments | ||
| Platforms | OANDA Trade web/desktop portal, OANDA Mobile app (fxTrade), MetaTrader 5, TradingView | OctaTrader, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 |
| Broker-published claim | Credit/debit cards: one to three business days; Skrill and Neteller: within one business day; bank or wire transfer: within two to five business days (financial institution may take additional 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 | Visa/Mastercard credit and debit cards, Bank/wire transfer (incl. Wise), Skrill, Neteller, Local alternative payment methods (deposit only; withdrawn back via bank transfer) | Visa/Mastercard cards, bank transfer / local banks (e.g. THB, IDR, MYR, NGN rails), Skrill, Neteller, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin,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 | Australia, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Singapore, Thailand, Mexico, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Malaysia, Colombia, Italy, Vietnam, Chile, Indonesia | 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
- OANDA + Octa (formerly OctaFX): Thailand, Germany, Malaysia, Italy, Indonesia
- OANDA Yes / Octa (formerly OctaFX) No: Australia, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Singapore, Mexico, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, Colombia, Vietnam, Chile
- Octa (formerly OctaFX) Yes / OANDA No: Turkey, India
Is OANDA 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, OANDA 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.