Looking for the top brokers with the highest leverage? Based on our hands-on analysis, we’ve identified the 5 best options tailored to various trading needs. Practical tips from our experts are included.
Please note that trading with leverage above 1.30, especially for novice traders, bears considerable risk.
*The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) limits leverage available to retail spot forex traders in the United States to 1:50 on major currency pairs and 1:20 for all others. In the case of forex futures, the level of margin and corresponding leverage is set by the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME).
In Europe, retail traders face a 1:30 leverage cap to mitigate risk, while offshore brokers can offer riskier leverage up to 1:2000, often with weaker safeguards. Professional traders in Europe can access up to 1:500 leverage, though without features like negative balance protection. To be designated as a professional, a trader must show significant trading experience, consistent high-volume trading (1 lot or more), and the ability to comfortably invest large sums.
This article will delve into the best brokers for high-leverage trading, highlight the pros and cons of our top picks, and discuss risk management measures each broker offers, all while demonstrating how to effectively utilize high leverage in your trading strategy.
Our team of experts has identified brokers’ strengths and weaknesses using FX Empire’s comprehensive methodology. Here’s how we test.
Now let’s dive into the selected brokers.
Established in 2009, RoboForex has quickly asserted itself as a reliable broker with diverse services. The Belize-based Forex broker has a well-balanced offering of competitive fees, multiple account types, trading platforms, and an impressive assortment of over 100 tradable instruments.
What stood out the most to me when testing RoboForex is its commitment to safety, which is particularly important when dealing with leverage of up to 1:2000. The broker ensures negative balance protection and stop-out at 40%. I assessed that clients of RoboForex are given all essential safety mechanisms to manage market exposure.
Key Features:
I opened an ECN account with RoboForex. It has floating spreads starting from 0.0 pips and a $20 commission per trading 1 million USD volume. These results meet the industry average. I consider this pricing mechanism suitable for high-frequency trading but less so for high-volume trading due to the relatively higher commission.
Where RoboForex really stands out is in the choice of platforms. Traders can choose between the popular MetaTrader 4&5 and RoboForex’s proprietary WebTrader and StocksTrader platforms. I appreciated this diversity as it allows traders to choose something specifically for their type of trading. Newbies thus may go for the popular MetaTrader, whereas experienced stock traders may go for RoboForex StocksTrader.
FXGT.com is a Seychelles-based Forex and CFDs broker that was founded in 2019. It offers over 150 tradable instruments, including industry-rare NFTs and synthetic cryptocurrencies. We chose FXGT.com as the best for cryptocurrency trading because of its diversity of digital assets.
You can trade with 9 DeFI tokens and NFTs, 33 cryptocurrencies, and 9 synthetic cryptos. I was also impressed by FXGT.com’s GTi12 index, allowing traders to hedge their exposure on the crypto market better.
Key Features:
I opened an ECN account with FXGT.com to test its conditions. It has floating spreads starting from 0.1 pips and a $6 round-turn commission per traded lot, meeting the industry average. I also clocked FXGT.com’s average execution speed at 120 milliseconds, which is slightly slower than the industry standard.
I also assessed that, with negative balance protection and relatively tight margin call requirements and stop-out levels, FXGT.com’s safety mechanisms for limiting the risk of account balance wipeout meet the industry standards. This is vitally important when trading highly volatile assets, such as cryptocurrencies.
FXGT.com incorporates MetaTrader 4&5. The two afford basic technical analysis and have over 50 technical indicators and drawing tools, though the two platforms do not have as intuitive designs as newer and sleeker platforms.
Exness is a well-trusted derivatives broker, founded in 2008 and regulated in multiple jurisdictions. The first thing I do when I test whether a broker is good for professional traders is to check its execution performance. And I was impressed by Exness’ average execution speed of under 25 milliseconds for 80% of all trades.
Fast and precise order execution is crucial for implementing complex trading strategies like scalping. And with no restrictions on the maximum leverage permitted, Exness can provide pros with unprecedented freedom to exploit different trading opportunities. But professionals should also keep in mind that Exness does not ensure negative balance protection, and its stop-out level is at 0%. This means there are no safety nets against the risks of high market exposure.
Key Features:
I opened a Standard Exness account and found that it supports commission-free trading, with floating spreads starting from 0.3 pips. I thus measured Exness’ trading fees against the industry average and found them quite competitive.
Exness incorporates MetaTrader 4&5, though I am positive most seasoned traders would prefer the broker’s proprietary Exness Terminal. The platform is feature-rich, with over 140 technical indicators and drawing tools. For comparison, MetaTrader 4 offers nearly three times fewer tools. The Terminal is also better at illustrating price action behavior, which is another must-have for precise order execution.
FXTM was established in 2011 and is headquartered in Limassol, Cyprus. The company has offices globally and serves international traders. I checked FXTM’s services thoroughly and found them quite diverse. The broker has a very well-structured educational program, provides probing research materials, and has reliable 24/5 customer support.
Traders can enjoy maximum leverage of 1:2000, which is ideal for highly speculative trading. However, FXTM does not provide negative balance protection as a safety precaution against the risks of high market exposure. These risks are, nevertheless, mitigated by the relatively narrow margin call and stop-out levels.
Key Features:
I tested FXTM’s fees and discovered that the Advantage account offers the most favorable conditions. With raw spreads starting from 0.0 pips and commissions of up to $2 depending on the traded volume, the account type is suitable for high-volume and high-frequency trading. FXTM was chosen for this category because this pricing mechanism is especially favorable for some instruments. For instance, if you were to open a full-sized position – 1 lot (100,000 units) – on the EUR/USD, I measured the value of such a trade at around $5. This is well below the industry average.
Traders can choose between MetaTrader 4&5. The two are popular, with easy-to-navigate designs. The two entries in the popular franchise offer more than 50 technical indicators and drawing tools.
Here at FX Empire, we have pioneered a unique methodology for evaluating forex and CFD brokers worldwide. Understanding traders’ goals and needs, our aim is to provide a comprehensive picture of a broker’s pros and cons so that our readers can make informed decisions and choose the best partner for their trading journey.
Our team of dedicated professionals is working continuously to improve our review system and keep it up-to-date with current market trends. We systematically conduct hands-on tests of each broker by employing over 250 variables across nine categories:
We strive to be as objective as possible, which is why our rigorous examinations are devoid of any personal bias as much as possible. We review the licenses of all the subsidiaries of a broker and check the fine print in the Client Agreement. The reliability of a broker is further determined based on the website’s regulations, fees, and general transparency.
We collect essential information by opening a live account with a broker entity and testing its services in real time. We measure the spreads, swaps, and commissions on its most popular account type and compare our findings to the industry average.
We also test the functionality of the available trading platforms, the number and types of tradable instruments, the reliability of customer support, and the quality of the research and educational materials.
For this article, we only considered high-scored brokers that offer high maximum leverage (at least 1:1000) to retail and professional traders. We looked for essential safety mechanisms, such as negative balance protection, segregation of client funds, and a compensation scheme. Additionally, we took into consideration brokers’ margin policies and stop-out levels, which are important for managing the risks from your market exposure. Considering various traders’ needs and levels of experience, we broke down our picks into different categories.
We abide by our strict guidelines for editorial integrity based on the objective standards we have set for our reviews. You can read more about our review process here.
The team of forex and CFD analysts and editors at FXEmpire is composed of trading industry professionals and seasoned financial journalists. Our experts have been published on leading financial websites such as Investopedia and Forbes. In addition, they all have extensive trading experience.
Dan Blystone began his career in the trading industry in 1998 on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Later Dan gained insight into the forex industry during his time as a Series 3 licenced futures and forex broker. He also traded at a couple of different prop trading firms in Chicago. Dan is well-equipped to recommend the best forex brokers due to his extensive experience and understanding of the brokerage industry.
Jitan Solanki is a professional trader, market analyst, and educator. He day trades major currency and index markets and focuses on swing trading US equities and commodities. A qualified Market Technician, Jitan also works with trader education and brokerage companies on various projects. These include market analysis, live trading events, and broker reviews. As an experienced trader and educator, Jitan brings all his qualities in action when reviewing and recommending brokers.
Having been a retail trader since 2013, Plamen has gained an in-depth understanding of the challenges that novice traders face today. His expertise is swing trading and day trading with a heavy emphasis on psychological and fundamental analysis. Plamen’s favourite trading instruments include FX majors and gold. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics and International Relations. Plamen's broad experience has equipped him with the expertise to recommend the best forex brokers.
In more than 15 years of trading in the financial markets, Vladimir dealt with a wide range of brokers and financial instruments. His career as a day-trader at a proprietary trading firm goes back to 2007. Later, Vladimir turned to longer time frames and became an independent trader and analyst managing his own portfolio. Using his experience, he helps traders find the best broker in his reviews.
Now it is time to outline the specific considerations traders need to make when looking for a trustworthy partner.
In order to make sure you are dealing with a trustworthy partner, you need to make sure that the broker entity you choose is tightly regulated and complies with all industry safety requirements.
I have broken down the most important safety mechanisms to look for in a broker below:
Generally, offshore regulators offer higher leverage but weaker overall protections. In contrast, top-tier regulators seek to limit the maximum market exposure afforded to traders via leverage by capping it.
Read more about Best regulated forex brokers.
Check out our guides on Best CySEC-regulated forex brokers and Best ASIC-regulated forex brokers.
A broker may have several account types, each with different pricing mechanisms and tailored to a particular style of trading. Below, I provide an example of STP and ECN accounts.
The biggest difference between STP and ECN accounts, apart from the execution model, is the pricing mechanism. Usually, STP accounts afford commission-free trading and floating spreads, whereas ECN accounts have fixed commissions and raw spreads (typically starting from 0.1 pips). At first glance, the former sounds more favorable because you only have to pay one cost – the spread – rather than two.
Read more about Best STP forex brokers and Best ECN forex brokers.
Many brokers recognize the psychological significance of this sort of thinking and seek to exploit it by raising the spreads on their STP accounts to the point where they are no longer the more competitive option. I will now demonstrate how to do a quick test for yourself to evaluate the competitiveness of a broker’s ECN and STP accounts.
Pick an instrument, say, the EURUSD. Suppose also that the spread on the pair is 0.9 pips on a broker’s STP account and 0.1 pips on its ECN account. There is also a $6 commission for trading 1 lot (100,000 units) contract. If the EURUSD pip value is $10, you can do a simple calculation to determine the value of a hypothetical position on the EURUSD executed on both account types. The formula is the value of a trade = spread x pip value + commission. When we pop in the above values, this is what we discover about our hypothetical broker:
Account Type | Spread | Commission | Net Cost |
STP | 0.9 pips | $0 | $9 |
ECN | 0.1 pips | $6 | $7 |
This is just a hypothetical example, but hopefully, it illustrates how more can be less in trading. So it’s worthwhile evaluating the costs of a broker you consider opening an account with for yourself before doing so. And if you are still uncertain, you can always check out our database of reviews to sort out the most competitive brokers.
Read more about Best lowest spread forex brokers.
A trading platform is your window into the market. It allows you to observe price action behavior and study potential opportunities for placing orders. Technical traders use a platform’s array of indicators, drawing tools, and other features to examine various price patterns, changes in volatility, liquidity, and so on in order to gauge the most favorable times to enter or exit the market.
The best platforms are also the most versatile ones. They include a wide spectrum of technical indicators, such as Fibonacci retracement levels, oscillators, trend-based and range-based indicators, and others, as well as drawing tools, such as trend lines, channels, wedges, etc. They are also the ones that allow you to easily scale price action up and down.
In addition to these components, when looking for a suitable platform, you must also look for efficiency. Ask yourself: Does the platform facilitate easy and rapid order placement through one-click trading? Does it support algorithmic trading via Expert Advisors (EAs)? Can it handle market, limit, and stop orders? These factors, and more, contribute to a platform’s overall effectiveness.
Check out our dedicated guide on Best forex trading platforms.
The two most popular retail platforms in the industry are MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. Over the years, the two have become the benchmark for simplicity and reliability. The two entries in the popular franchise have a decent range of technical indicators and drawing tools and afford multi-timeframe analysis.
However, despite MetaTrader’s easy learning curve, its rugged design becomes apparent when contrasted against newer and sleeker platforms. In my estimation, MetaTrader could be a good choice for newbies wanting to learn the ropes, but to take your trading to take it to the next level, you may need something more sophisticated.
The answer of some brokers is to develop their proprietary platforms. The advantage of most such platforms is their convenience. The ability to search for instruments by asset class, scale price action up and down with ease, or execute complex box orders are benefits you cannot find in MetaTrader. To summarise, the question of choosing the best platform for you is one of simplicity vs practicality.
Read more about best MT4 brokers and best MT5 brokers.
Here is a quick rundown of what to avoid when choosing a broker offering high leverage:
Having been a retail trader since 2013, Plamen has gained an in-depth understanding of the challenges that novice traders face today. His expertise is swing trading and day trading with a heavy emphasis on psychological and fundamental analysis. Plamen’s favourite trading instruments include FX majors and gold. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics and International Relations. Plamen's broad experience has equipped him with the expertise to recommend the best forex brokers.
At FXEmpire, we strive to provide unbiased, thorough and accurate broker reviews by industry experts to help our users make smarter financial decisions.