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Regulation check
Is Interactive Brokers regulated? Licences and safety in 2026
Which regulators license Interactive Brokers, which company you would actually join, and what protection that gives you.
Short answer: Yes. Interactive Brokers is a large listed group regulated by the FCA, the Central Bank of Ireland, ASIC, CIRO and others. Leveraged retail forex is not offered to US clients.
Interactive Brokers regulators and what they mean for you
| Regulator | Country | What it means for retail clients |
|---|---|---|
| FCA | UK | Top tier. Retail leverage capped at 30:1 on majors, negative balance protection, client money segregated, FSCS cover up to £85,000 if the firm fails. |
| CBI | Ireland (EU) | EU MiFID rules, same retail protections as other EU regulators. |
| ASIC | Australia | Top tier. Retail leverage capped at 30:1 on majors, negative balance protection, client money held in trust. |
| CIRO | Canada | Top tier national regulator with leverage limits and a member protection fund (CIPF). |
Protections apply only if your account is with the company that regulator licenses. Leverage caps and compensation limits are the general rules for each regulator, not a statement about Interactive Brokers' specific terms.
Which Interactive Brokers company would hold your account?
Interactive Brokers runs several companies under one brand. Where you live decides which one opens your account, and only that company's regulator protects you. Before you deposit:
- Find the company name in the client agreement or account-opening terms.
- Look it up on that regulator's own register, not a link from the broker's site.
- Check the website address and contact details on the register match the site you are using, to avoid clone firms.
Our legal entity guide walks through it step by step.
Interactive Brokers at a glance
| Minimum deposit | No account minimum |
| EUR/USD pricing | From 0.1 pips + 0.20 bp of trade value ($2 minimum per order) |
| Platforms | Trader Workstation, IBKR Desktop, API |
| US retail forex clients | No leveraged retail forex for US clients |
FAQ
Is Interactive Brokers safe?
Interactive Brokers is a large listed group with companies regulated by top-tier regulators. Safety still depends on the company that holds your account, so check which one you would join.
Which Interactive Brokers company will I join?
It depends on where you live. The company is named in the account-opening documents and client agreement, not on the homepage. Check that name on the regulator's own register.
Can US clients trade forex at Interactive Brokers?
US clients can open accounts for other products, but leveraged retail forex is not offered to them.
What is the minimum deposit at Interactive Brokers?
There is no account minimum.
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