Deriv Review 2025

Trust

Deriv Regulators

In our reviews, we examine the regulatory status of each entity operated by a broker. This allows us to compare the different levels of client protection. We rank regulators using a three-tier system, where Tier-1 licensing reflects the highest level of regulation.

Here are my findings on the various entities of Deriv:

• Deriv Investments (Europe) Limited is regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA). We rate the MFSA as a Tier-1 regulator.
• Deriv Capital Contracts & Currencies L.L.C. is licensed and regulated by the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) under licence number 20200000243. We rate the SCA as a Tier-2 regulator.
• Deriv (FX) Ltd is licensed and regulated by the Labuan Financial Services Authority (LFSA) under license number MB/18/0024. We rate the LFSA as a Tier-3 regulator.
• Deriv (BVI) Ltd is licensed and regulated by the British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission (FSC) under license number SIBA/L/18/1114. We rate the FSC as a Tier-3 regulator.
• Deriv (V) Ltd is licensed and regulated by the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission (VFSC) under license number 14556. We rate the VFSC as a Tier-3 regulator.
• Deriv (Mauritius) Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Commission, Mauritius. We rate the MFSC as a Tier-3 regulator.
• Deriv Investments (Cayman) Limited is licensed and regulated by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA) under the Securities Investment Business Act, reference number 2108455. We rate CIMA as a Tier-3 regulator.
• Deriv (SVG) LLC is registered in St Vincent and the Grenadines. It is not regulated, but it is a member of The Financial Commission, an international independent organization dedicated to resolving disputes within the financial services industry.

How Deriv Protects You

Brokers operate through various entities to serve clients worldwide; however, the level of regulatory protection varies by jurisdiction. Each broker is required to comply with the legal requirements of the jurisdiction in which they operate.

Some regulators enforce strict financial and operational standards, while others have more relaxed requirements. As a result, protections for traders can vary. Traders need to understand the regulatory framework and level of protection provided by the specific entity where they open their account.

• Segregation of Client Funds: Keeping client funds in segregated bank accounts from the ones used for the broker’s corporate capital negates the risk of accounting errors. All Deriv entities follow this practice.
• Negative Balance Protection: This safety mechanism removes the risk of trading losses exceeding the account balance. In other words, the losses you incur from trading are capped at the amount you have put in your trading account. This is especially important in volatile markets. All Deriv entities provide negative balance protection (for applicable clients).
• Compensation Scheme: Deriv is a member of the Financial Commission. The Financial Commission protects clients by providing independent dispute resolution and compensation of up to €20,000 if a Deriv fails to honor its obligations.
• Maximum Leverage: Capping the maximum leverage restricts the extent of market exposure to retail traders. The higher the leverage, the higher the potential profits and potential losses. Deriv (SVG) LLC offers leverage of up to 1:1000.

Stability and Transparency

In our tests for the Trust category, we also cover factors relating to stability and transparency. Here, we focus on the broker’s operating history, size, and overall credibility.

Deriv was founded in 1999, marking it as one of the oldest and most experienced CFD brokers. According to its LinkedIn page, the company is headquartered in Malta and has over 1,000 employees.

In my research, Deriv showed high transparency in its regulatory status, listing its regulators in the footer of each page of the deriv.com website. The website clearly breaks down trading costs on the CFDs page. Traders can easily find the General Terms of Use agreement on the Terms and Conditions page, listed in the footer.

Is Deriv Safe to Trade With?

Although one of the Deriv’s entities is unregulated, my findings indicate that the broker can be regarded as having a moderate to high level of trustworthiness and stability due to the following factors:

• Regulation by multiple authorities
• Segregation of client funds
• Negative balance protection
• Financial Commission coverage
• Over 25 years of operational history

Fees

Deriv Trading Fees

Deriv Spreads

I tested the spreads at Deriv during the London open and just after the New York open on 7 August 2025. At these times, the market is typically highly liquid with the tightest spreads.

Forex spreads such as EUR/USD and GBP/JPY are slightly wider than the industry average, while gold and WTI oil are competitively priced. Indices like the DAX 40 and Dow Jones 30 also offer better-than-average pricing.

Bitcoin spreads are slightly wider than most competitors, and US stock CFDs, especially Tesla, carry notably wider spreads. However, unlike many brokers, Deriv does not charge commissions on CFD stocks on the Deriv MT5 Standard Account.

Deriv Swap Fees

The table below shows the Swap Long (the cost/credit of holding a buy position overnight) and the Swap Short (the cost/credit of maintaining a sell position overnight) for one full-sized contract.

In forex, a full-sized contract is 100,000 units of the base currency (the first currency quoted in the pair), or 100 ounces in the case of gold. I recorded the data on 20 November 2025.

My tests showed that the swap fees at Deriv are average for the industry.

Deriv Non-Trading Fees

If your account has no transactions for over 12 months, Deriv charges a dormant fee of up to 25 USD/EUR/GBP. After that, it’s charged every 6 months while inactive.

Deriv does not charge any fees for deposits or withdrawals, making it easy for traders to move funds in and out of their accounts at no extra cost.

Are Deriv Fees Competitive?

Overall, Deriv’s trading costs range from average to slightly high, but there are a few cost-efficient perks worth noting. Spreads can be as low as 1.2 pips on the DAX 40, and the broker doesn’t charge for deposits or withdrawals. Swap fees, however, are around the industry average, and an inactivity fee applies after accounts remain idle for one year.

Platform and Tools

Deriv MT5 Desktop

General Ease of Use

The MT5 platform offers a robust trading experience, with a clear and practical interface. While it is feature-rich and better suited to experienced traders, beginners can get up to speed with practice via the demo account. Deriv provides access to MT5 via desktop, web, and mobile.

Key Features

• Alerts: Price alerts can be set for key levels.
• Watchlists: Customizable watchlists allow easy monitoring of preferred instruments.
• One-Click Trading: Speeds up order execution for scalping or volatile market conditions.
• Trading from the Chart: Orders can be placed directly on charts.
• Direct Hedging: Supported for traders running multiple positions in the same instrument.

Charts

MetaTrader 5 offers flexible charting with candlestick, bar, and line types, over 80 technical indicators, and 40+ drawing tools. Timeframes range from 1 minute to 1 month, making it suitable for both scalpers and long-term traders. Charts can be customized, detached, and used for one-click trading.

Orders

MT5 supports market, limit, stop, trailing stop, and pending orders, giving traders flexible execution options suitable for scalping, swing trading, and automated strategies. For greater precision, orders can be placed directly from the chart or the Depth of Market (DOM) tool.

MT5 Desktop: My Key Takeaways

During my tests using the MT5 desktop platform, execution was consistently fast and stable. The platform is highly customizable, with advanced charting and strong algo trading capabilities via Expert Advisors (EAs). While the learning curve may be steep for complete beginners, the combination of advanced tools and execution speed makes it one of the best options in Deriv’s suite for serious traders.

MT5 Mobile App

General Ease of Use

The MT5 mobile app has a clean, intuitive design that’s easy to navigate on small screens. Traders can create watchlists, view interactive charts, and place or adjust orders in just a few taps. With real-time quotes, news, and an economic calendar, it delivers fast execution and convenient access to detailed market information on the go.

Charts

The MT5 app offers versatile charting tools with multiple types, including candlestick, line, and bar charts. Traders can apply over 30 built-in indicators such as Moving Averages, MACD, Bollinger Bands, and RSI, plus 20+ drawing tools like trend lines and Fibonacci retracements. Timeframes span from one minute to one month, supporting both short-term and long-term analysis, with one-click trading directly from charts.

Orders

The MT5 app offers a full range of order types to suit different trading styles. Market orders allow instant execution, while limit and stop orders help traders exit at predefined levels. Stop-loss and take-profit orders manage risk and secure gains, giving traders control over execution and risk management.

MT5 Mobile App: My Key Takeaways

The MT5 mobile app strikes a good balance between simplicity and advanced functionality. Its user-friendly design makes it accessible for beginners, while the depth of charting tools and order types caters to more experienced traders. With fast execution, integrated news and analysis, and robust risk management features, it is a reliable all-in-one solution for trading on the go.

Deriv Order Execution Model

Deriv either processes your trade orders through liquidity providers or takes the other side as a principal, serving as the sole execution venue. Deriv’s best execution policy helps ensure traders receive competitive pricing.

Tradable Instruments

What sets Deriv apart is its unique product range, including Synthetic Indices that simulate market volatility under fixed conditions. These include the Volatility 75 Index and Crash/Boom series, available to trade 24/7.

It also offers Basket Indices, enabling traders to speculate on groups of assets in a single trade, and micro forex contracts, which make trading accessible to low-capital traders.

What are CFDs?

A Contract for Difference (CFD) is an agreement specifying that the buyer must pay the seller the difference between an asset’s current value and its value at the time the contract was initiated. Like futures and other derivative financial instruments, CFDs allow traders to speculate on price movements without owning the underlying asset.

What Can You Trade with Deriv?

To better illustrate the range of instruments available at Deriv, the following tables show samples from various asset classes:

Deriv Instruments: My Key Takeaways

Deriv stands apart with its synthetic and basket indices, which offer unique 24/7 opportunities not found at other brokers. The forex and commodity ranges are solid, and the crypto lineup is far above the industry average. The main limitation is the relatively small stock and ETF selection compared to other leading CFD brokers.

Customer Support

Deriv Customer Support Test

I tested Deriv’s customer service over two weeks with a wide variety of queries, covering topics such as platforms, fees, and regulations. I found the support to be generally knowledgeable and polite.

Live chat proved to be the most efficient channel, with replies often arriving within seconds. One drawback with chat is that you need to verify yourself with a code sent to your email each time. Email queries were typically resolved within the same business day.

Deriv does not offer phone support, which may be disappointing for traders who prefer speaking directly with a representative. However, its live chat was effective in guiding me through the answers to all my questions. I also liked that support was available via WhatsApp, providing a practical solution when you are on the move.

Deposit and Withdrawal

How Do You Deposit Money with Deriv

Deriv offers multiple deposit methods, including credit/debit cards, e-wallets, cryptocurrencies, bank transfers, and its P2P on/off-ramp system, all with no fees charged by Deriv. Third-party card, payment service providers, or banks may impose their own fees. Processing times range from under 24 hours for most methods to up to five business days for bank wires.

How Do You Withdraw Money from Deriv

Deriv supports withdrawals via cards, e-wallets, cryptocurrencies, bank transfers, and its P2P on/off-ramp, all with no fees charged by Deriv. Third-party card, payment service providers, or banks may impose their own fees. Processing is typically within 24 hours, except for bank wires, which can take up to five business days. On-ramp/off-ramp at Deriv lets traders convert between fiat and crypto directly on the platform.

Account Types and Terms

How to Open an Account with Deriv

To open a live account with Deriv, applicants must provide essential personal and compliance information such as name, date of birth, place of birth, email, phone number, and residential address.

Generally, participants are also required to state their account purpose, employment status, country of tax residence, and tax identification number (amongst other things).

What Account Types Deriv Offers

Deriv offers a very broad range of account types. Each one offers its own maximum leverage, but accounts vary in terms of spreads and instrument availability.

Most accounts support forex, stocks, stock indices, commodities, cryptocurrencies, ETFs, synthetic indices, and basket indices, though coverage differs. For example, Gold accounts have limited instruments, while Zero Spread accounts focus on ultra-tight pricing but exclude some markets.

Demo Account

Deriv offers demo accounts for all of its platforms, which are easily accessible via the client portal. Demo accounts are especially important for beginners as they allow them to practice their strategies and get comfortable with the trading platform without risking real money. The demo account features live quotes and simulates live market conditions in assets like forex and CFDs on commodities, indices, and stocks. Once users are up to speed on a demo, they can easily switch to a live account.

Swap-Free Account

Deriv offers a swap-free account that adheres to certain principles of Sharia law.

What is CFD Leverage?

One of the reasons that traders are attracted to the forex and CFD markets is the high degree of available leverage. Leverage is used to increase the size of your trading positions beyond what would be possible using only the cash in your account.

For the Deriv (SVG) LLC entity, traders can access maximum leverage of 1:1000. In practical terms, a $1,000 account balance could control positions worth up to $1,000,000. While this offers significant trading power, such high leverage also carries substantial risk.

Leverage is often described as a ‘double-edged sword’ as it can hurt you as much as it helps you. Traders should keep in mind that it can amplify both their profits and their losses.

Deriv (SVG) LLC’s leverage varies by asset class, as illustrated in the following table:

Deriv Restricted Countries

Deriv restricts access to its trading platform in several countries, including the United States and Canada, due to regulatory and legal reasons.

Research

The Deriv Blog is a comprehensive resource offering traders market insights, practical strategy guides, and platform-specific tips. Organized into categories like Markets, Platforms, News, and Trading Strategies, it covers a wide range of topics, including forex, commodities, cryptocurrencies, stocks, ETFs, and synthetic indices. With regular updates and a focus on actionable analysis, the blog empowers traders to educate themselves and develop their own strategies.

Deriv Blog offers a range of videos, including market analysis segments that cover topics such as US–China trade developments, volatility trends, crypto movements, and oil market dynamics. Alongside these updates, the blog features platform tutorials and general strategy information.

Deriv complements its research with Market Buzz by Trading Central, an AI-driven tool that scans news, blogs, and social media to reveal the most talked-about assets. Its visual “buzz” chart highlights sentiment and trending assets, helping traders quickly spot opportunities.

Deriv Research: My Key Takeaways

Deriv’s research offering includes insightful market analysis, general strategy information, and videos covering key trends across major asset classes. Trading Central tools further enhance this offering by delivering actionable insights and sentiment analysis. Overall, I consider Deriv’s research to be above average compared to industry peers.

Education

Deriv Academy is a free, comprehensive educational platform designed to help traders of all experience levels build their skills and knowledge. It offers structured courses on topics such as forex, volatility indices, cryptocurrencies, and risk management, along with step-by-step platform tutorials for tools like Deriv MT5.

The Academy’s resources include detailed trading guides, downloadable eBooks, interactive quizzes, and themed learning paths that allow users to progress from basic concepts to more advanced understanding of derivatives trading. Deriv Academy provides an accessible and practical way for traders to improve their understanding of the markets while becoming familiar with the broker’s platforms and products.

Deriv Courses provide self-paced training from beginner to advanced levels, covering forex, volatility indices, derivatives, MT5 platform use, economic indicators, and trading strategies like scalping and correlation. With practical lessons and real-world examples, they offer a flexible path for traders to build skills and confidence at their own pace.

The Deriv blog also offers in-depth platform tutorials for Deriv MT5 and Deriv cTrader.

Deriv Academy offers free eBooks on forex, stocks, commodities, crypto, synthetics, chart patterns, and trading psychology. Titles like How to Trade the Forex Market and 10 Trading Chart Patterns Every Trader Should Know provide clear explanations, general practical information, and visuals to help traders build real-world skills.

The Bottom Line

Deriv is a long-established broker with a unique product range, notably its 24/7 synthetic indices. The platform choice is broad, catering to manual, automated, and copy traders, and the no-deposit requirement makes it highly accessible.

For this review, I opened an account with the unregulated Deriv (SVG) LLC entity, which offers claims coverage of up to €20,000 through the Financial Commission for instances where an order is made by the Commission against Deriv (SVG) and they do not comply with the order. However, I felt that client protection could be improved by adding private account insurance, such as a Lloyd’s of London policy covering up to $1 million.

In my tests, the Standard Account delivered tight spreads on commodities and indices, though spreads across other asset classes came in a bit wider than the industry norm. Swap rates were largely aligned with market averages. Deriv’s Zero Spread account provides the most competitive pricing, with spreads starting from 0.0 pips plus commission.

Platform flexibility is a major highlight, from beginner-friendly Deriv Trader to professional-grade Deriv MT5 and Deriv cTrader. The research and educational resources are also stronger than the industry average, reflecting a deep and well-rounded offering.

Deriv is best suited for traders seeking high-leverage trading and casual traders looking for a simple, low-barrier entry into the markets. It also appeals to day traders and scalpers who value fast execution and an excellent variety of platforms and tools.

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