What are the best alternatives to IG for CFD trading in Hong Kong?
Verdict
- Pepperstone is our first alternative to IG for CFD trading in Hong Kong, followed by Capital.com and XS; all three accept Hong Kong residents in our data.
- IG shows no SFC licence: its Hong Kong address redirects to its Chinese-language site. Pepperstone, Capital.com and XS don't show one either.
- If you're leaving IG for lower, published costs, Pepperstone fits; if you rely on IG's guaranteed stops, Capital.com offers them too; XS suits MetaTrader users who want a raw-spread Elite account.
- If a Hong Kong licence is a must, Saxo Capital Markets HK Limited is SFC-licensed (CE AVD061), though it is not one of our partner brokers.
People leave IG for different reasons, so the right alternative depends on what you want to keep and what you want to change. Here are our three picks for Hong Kong residents, what each one replaces, and an honest note on local licensing.
1. Pepperstone: lower published costs and more platforms
Pepperstone publishes its averages: EUR/USD at 0.1 pips on Razor plus $3.50 commission per side, or 1.1 pips on the commission-free Standard account. IG's own figure is a 'from 0.6 points' minimum, so the two aren't directly comparable, but Pepperstone lets you calculate costs before you trade. It runs MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView and its own app, accepts $10 to start, offers HKD as a base currency, and lists HK50 at a 5-point average with no commission. What you give up from IG: guaranteed stops, ProRealTime and L2 Dealer. You also move to Pepperstone's Bahamas company (SIA-F217), which carries no SFC licence and names no compensation scheme.
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2. Capital.com: keeps the guaranteed stop
Capital.com publishes a guaranteed stop-loss and retail negative balance protection, two IG features that cautious traders often rely on. It supports MT4, MT5, TradingView and its own web and mobile platforms, and the minimum deposit is 20 USD. Its regulator list (FCA, CySEC, ASIC, the Bahamas SCB and the UAE CMA) has no SFC entry, so ask which company would hold a Hong Kong account. Its spreads are shown live rather than as a published average.
3. XS: a raw-spread MetaTrader account
XS publishes an average EUR/USD spread of 0.1 pips on its Elite account, with a $6 round-turn commission and a $500 minimum. Platforms are MT4, MT5 and the XS app. Its licences include ASIC, CySEC, the Seychelles FSA and Labuan's LFSA; no SFC licence is listed, and base currencies are USD, EUR and JPY, so there is no HKD account.
What each replaces from IG
| IG feature | Pepperstone | Capital.com | XS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guaranteed stop-loss | No | Yes | Not in our data |
| MT4 / MT5 | Both | Both | Both |
| TradingView | Yes (Razor) | Yes | Not listed |
| ProRealTime / L2 Dealer | No | No | No |
| HKD account | Yes | Not in our data | No |
| SFC licence | No | No | No |
Sources
Regulation and product pages from IG and the alternatives.
Is IG licensed by the SFC?
Not as far as its site shows: ig.com/hk redirects to ig.com/cn, with no SFC licence displayed.
Which IG alternative offers guaranteed stops?
Capital.com, among our three picks. Pepperstone doesn't offer them, and XS's position isn't in our data.
Is there an SFC-licensed CFD broker?
Saxo Capital Markets HK Limited holds an SFC licence (CE AVD061). We haven't compared its CFD costs here.
Can I trade the Hang Seng with these alternatives?
Pepperstone lists HK50 at a 5-point average spread with no commission. Capital.com's and XS's HK50 pricing isn't in our data.
CFDs carry a high risk of rapid losses because of leverage, and moving to an offshore entity can change the protections you have. Understand the terms before you transfer money. Not investment advice.