A local licence or an offshore one: the difference

A broker can take clients in South Africa in two ways: through a company licensed by the FSCA here, or through a company licensed somewhere else. Both happen, and the second is not the same as being unregulated.

What changes is where you stand if something goes wrong. A locally licensed entity is answerable to the FSCA and to the complaint route that comes with it; an offshore entity is answerable to its own regulator, in its own jurisdiction, under its own compensation rules - which may be generous, limited, or absent.

The ten below hold a local licence. The brokers that do not are not hidden: they have their own page, because the question a reader asks is usually about one named firm.

Affiliate links: we earn a commission; it never changes scores or order. CFDs are high-risk and leverage can lose you money rapidly.

Key facts (56 of 104 counts · 104 brokers onboarding South African residents)

56of 104

qualify for this ranking

54% of 104

18of 56

scored on all six axes

32% of 56

66of 104

publish a price

63% of 104

72of 104

publish a leverage figure for this country

69% of 104

Top 3 (of 3 ranked)

1HFM4.46highest score of the three · locally licensed · withdrawal in 24 h 2ACY Securities4.37locally licensed · withdrawal in 24 h 3FXGT4.36locally licensed · withdrawal in 24 h

A local licence or an offshore one: the difference (56 of 104)

OrderBy slice score, formula v1.0.

Shown56 of 104 brokers in this ranking · all 56

#	Broker	Round turn, USDZA	Min deposit, USDZA	Leverage	Withdrawal, hZA	Score	Execution	Founded	Funding
1	CFI	4	—	500ZA	—	4.92	ECN/raw + standard	1998	3 methods · local
2	FP Markets	6.5	100	500ZA	—	4.78	ECN/raw + standard	2005	3 methods
3	Capital.com	6	20	—stated, not verified	—	4.6	Standard	2016	3 methods · local
4	AvaTrade	9	100	400ZA	—	4.55	Standard	2006	5 methods · local
5	HFM	6	—	2000ZA	24	4.46	ECN/raw + standard	2010	3 methods · local
6	STARTRADER	4	50	1000ZA	24	4.42	ECN/raw + standard	2019	4 methods
7	ACY Securities	6	50 group	500 groupZA	24	4.37	ECN/raw + standard	2011	5 methods · local
8	FXGT	6	10	5000ZA	24	4.36	ECN/raw + standard	2019	6 methods · local
9	IG Markets	6	—	—stated, not verified	72	4.36	Standard	1974	3 methods · local
10	Admirals	6	25	500ZA	24	4.36	ECN/raw + standard	2001	4 methods · local
11	ThinkMarkets	7	50	500ZA	4	4.28	ECN/raw + standard	2010	5 methods · local
12	IG Markets SA	7.5	4000 ZAR	30ZA	72	4.28	Standard	1974	2 methods · local
13	JustMarkets	3	—	3000ZA	—	4.27	ECN/raw + standard	—	3 methods · local
14	FXCM	7	4	400ZA	72	4.26	ECN/raw + standard	1999	2 methods · local
15	Tickmill	6	100	1000ZA	—	4.25	ECN/raw	2014	4 methods · local
16	Mitrade	8.5	20	200ZA	24	4.24	Standard	2011	4 methods
17	CMTrading	8	300	200ZA	24	4.24	ECN/raw + standard	2012	4 methods · local
18	ATFX	12	500 group	400ZA	24	4.18	Standard	2017	3 methods · local
19	Moneta Markets	7	50	1000ZA	24	4.12	ECN/raw + standard	—	5 methods
20	IronFX	18	100	500ZA	—	4.07	ECN/raw + standard	2010	6 methods · local
21	CAPEX	14	100	300ZA	24	4.02	ECN/raw + standard	2016	3 methods · local
22	FXGT.com	—	5	1000ZA	—	4.01	—	2019	5 methods · local
23	Plus500	8	750 ZAR	30ZA	72	4	Standard	2008	5 methods · local
24	Trade Nation	5	0 group	200ZA	120	3.98	Standard	2014	3 methods · local
25	Khwezi Trade	4	500 ZAR	400ZA	72	3.96	ECN/raw + standard	2013	1 methods · local
26	Scope Markets SA	9	100	1000ZA	120	3.92	Standard	2014	4 methods · local
27	Sasfin Securities	—	—	—stated, not verified	—	3.85	—	2007	2 methods · local
28	FxPro	7	100	200ZA	—	3.82	ECN/raw + standard	2006	3 methods · local
29	Headway	—	1	—stated, not verified	—	3.77	—	2023	4 methods · local
30	Trive South Africa	10	—	—stated, not verified	168	3.68	ECN/raw + standard	2022	4 methods · local
31	Unum Capital	11	—	—stated, not verified	—	3.64	Standard	1999	2 methods · local
32	FXTM	16	10	2000ZA	24	3.6	Standard	2011	5 methods · local
33	Standard Bank Online Share Trading (OST / SBG Securities)	—	—	—stated, not verified	120	3.59	—	1999	3 methods
34	Tradu	—	—	30ZA	120	3.53	—	2023	3 methods · local
35	FNB Share Investing	—	—	—stated, not verified	—	3.17	—	—	2 methods · local
36	Exinity	—	—	—stated, not verified	—	—	—	—	2 methods · local
37	Finvasia	—	50 group	1000 groupZA	—	—	—	2007	5 methods · local
38	Markets.com	—	100	300ZA	168	—	—	2008	5 methods · local
39	Scope Markets	9	10 group	1000 groupZA	—	—	Standard	—	4 methods · local
40	Ultima Markets	—	50 group	2000ZA	120	—	—	2016	5 methods
41	ZuluTrade	—	—	500 groupZA	—	—	—	2007	4 methods · local
42	10X Investments	—	1000 ZAR	—stated, not verified	—	—	—	2007	2 methods · local
43	Absa Stockbrokers & Portfolio Management	—	—	—stated, not verified	—	—	—	1973	2 methods · local
44	Anchor Capital	—	—	—stated, not verified	—	—	—	1983	3 methods · local
45	EasyEquities	—	—	—stated, not verified	120	—	—	2014	4 methods
46	GT247.com	—	0	25ZA	—	—	—	1998	2 methods · local
47	Investec Online / Clarity	—	25 ZAR	—stated, not verified	—	—	—	—	2 methods · local
48	Nedbank Online Share Trading	—	0	—stated, not verified	—	—	—	—	2 methods · local
49	PSG Online (PSG Wealth)	—	—	—stated, not verified	—	—	—	1998	2 methods
50	Purple Group	—	—	—stated, not verified	—	—	—	2011	3 methods · local
51	Sanlam iTrade	—	5000 ZAR	—stated, not verified	—	—	—	—	2 methods · local
52	Satrix	—	—	—stated, not verified	—	—	—	2000	3 methods · local
53	Shyft (Standard Bank Shyft)	—	—	—stated, not verified	—	—	—	2017	3 methods · local
54	Momentum Securities	—	—	—stated, not verified	—	—	—	1938	3 methods · local
55	Rand Swiss	—	—	—stated, not verified	0	—	—	2014	2 methods · local
56	OctaFX	—	25	1000ZA	3	—	—	2011	3 methods · local

Ten are shown; the button opens the rest.

"group" marks a figure the broker publishes for the group rather than for this country. It is shown because the broker states it, and it is not ranked, averaged or used to sort.

— the broker does not publish this figure; it is not read as a zero and it is not scored.

Plus500 publishes a retail leverage of 1:30 without naming the entity that grants it, so the figure is marked group and left out of the leverage ranking and median.

The ten above illustrate the term. FSCA-regulated brokers in South Africa lists every broker that qualifies, with the figure each one publishes.

Identical for every row, so it is stated once: Who onboards Local · FSCA · Swap-free fee none, no limit · ZAR account Yes.

1. HFM — highest score of the three · locally licensed · withdrawal in 24 h (score 4.46)

Round turn: 6 USD
Withdrawal: same business day
ZAR account: ZAR trading accounts offered; also USD.
Leverage: 2000ZA
Licence: FSCA 46632
Accepts residents: yes
Onboarding entity: SA clients served under LOCAL FSCA-licensed entity HF Markets SA (Pty) Ltd.
Founded: 2010
Register: https://fxscouts.co.za · 09.07.2026
Group leverage: uncleargroup
Instruments: 1000+ CFDs: FX, metals, indices, shares, commodities, crypto.
Platforms: MT5cTraderWebTradingView
Funding: Fast free deposits/withdrawals via local ZAR banks; cards, e-wallets.
Not served: United States, Canada, Sudan, Syria, Iran, North Korea

Reviews25%80
Round-turn cost20%95
Safety90
Payouts15%
Track record10%
Platforms50

Why it ranks here

Round turn 6 USD against the slice median 7 USD. strongest axis round-turn cost 95 of 100. total score 4.46.

Watch for

Payouts axis 58 of 100; e-wallet times not published.

Full review of HFM

2. ACY Securities — locally licensed · withdrawal in 24 h (score 4.37)

Round turn: 6 USD
Withdrawal: under 24 hours
ZAR account: USD, AUD, EUR, GBP, NZD, CAD, JPY; ZAR reported supported for SA clients (verify at signup).
Leverage: 500 groupZA
Licence: FSCA 51008
Accepts residents: through an offshore entity
Onboarding entity: ACY Securities SA (Pty) Ltd (formerly Ingot Brokers SA), a locally licensed entity.
Founded: 2011
Register: https://fsca.co.za · 09.07.2026
Group leverage: offshore
Instruments: FX, indices, commodities, shares CFDs, crypto CFDs.
Platforms: MT5MT4Web
Funding: Cards, bank transfer, Skrill, Neteller, crypto (USDT/USDC); no ZA-specific rail verified.
Not served: North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan, Iran, Libya, New Zealand, United States, Russian Federation, Belarus

Why it ranks here

Round turn 6 USD against the slice median 7 USD. strongest axis round-turn cost 95 of 100. total score 4.37.

Watch for

Min deposit 200 USD, double the South Africa median of 50; withdrawal time not published.

Full review of ACY Securities

3. FXGT — locally licensed · withdrawal in 24 h (score 4.36)

Round turn: 6 USD
Withdrawal: within 24 hours
ZAR account: USD, EUR, JPY and ZAR - South Africans can hold a ZAR account and avoid conversion.
Leverage: 5000ZA
Licence: 48896
Accepts residents: through an offshore entity
Onboarding entity: South African clients are onboarded under the local entity GT IO Markets (Pty) Ltd, with the Seychelles entity used for global products.
Founded: 2019
Register: https://fxgt.com · 09.07.2026
Group leverage: localgroup
Instruments: 50+ FX pairs, 30+ crypto CFDs, synthetic crypto pairs, 50+ US share CFDs, 10+ indices, metals and energy CFDs.
Platforms: MT5WebMobile
Funding: Cards, local bank/EFT, e-wallets (Neteller/Skrill/STICPAY) and crypto; ZAR deposits supported.
Not served: United States, Canada, European Union member states, Iran, North Korea, Belize, Ukraine, United Kingdom

Why it ranks here

Round turn 6 USD against the slice median 7 USD. strongest axis safety 100 of 100. total score 4.36.

Watch for

Onboards South African residents through an offshore entity: no FSCA licence, no FSCA complaints route, no ZAR account.

Full review of FXGT

What the data shows(4 distributions · 104 brokers)

Swap-free availability (104 brokers)

Offered30Not offered14

Admin fee after the free period (56 of 104 swap-free)

Never16After 3–30 days9not published5

Who onboards South African residents (104 brokers)

Local FSCA entity20Offshore entity24

ZAR account (104 brokers)

Yes16No23not published5

Swap-free round turn, USD (66 of 104 priced · median 7)

7<5

455-10

810-15

515-20

120+

Retail leverage in South Africa (72 of 104 · 1 group excluded)

48<1000

151000-2000

42000-3000

43000-4000

14000+

Full list(56 of 104)

1CFI4.92
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
4
Leverage
500ZA
ZAR
Yes
2FP Markets4.78
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
6.5
Min deposit, USD
100
Leverage
500ZA
ZAR
Yes
3Capital.com4.6
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
6
Min deposit, USD
20
ZAR
Yes
4AvaTrade4.55
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
9
Min deposit, USD
100
Leverage
400ZA
ZAR
Yes
5HFM4.46
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
6
Leverage
2000ZA
ZAR
Yes
6STARTRADER4.42
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
4
Min deposit, USD
50
Leverage
1000ZA
ZAR
Yes
7ACY Securities4.37
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
6
Min deposit, USD
50 group
Leverage
500 groupZA
ZAR
Yes
8FXGT4.36
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
6
Min deposit, USD
10
Leverage
5000ZA
ZAR
Yes
9IG Markets4.36
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
6
ZAR
Yes
10Admirals4.36
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
6
Min deposit, USD
25
Leverage
500ZA
ZAR
Yes
11ThinkMarkets4.28
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
7
Min deposit, USD
50
Leverage
500ZA
ZAR
Yes
12IG Markets SA4.28
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
7.5
Min deposit, USD
4000 ZAR
Leverage
30ZA
ZAR
Yes
13JustMarkets4.27
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
3
Leverage
3000ZA
ZAR
Yes
14FXCM4.26
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
7
Min deposit, USD
4
Leverage
400ZA
ZAR
Yes
15Tickmill4.25
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
6
Min deposit, USD
100
Leverage
1000ZA
ZAR
Yes
16Mitrade4.24
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
8.5
Min deposit, USD
20
Leverage
200ZA
ZAR
Yes
17CMTrading4.24
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
8
Min deposit, USD
300
Leverage
200ZA
ZAR
Yes
18ATFX4.18
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
12
Min deposit, USD
500 group
Leverage
400ZA
ZAR
Yes
19Moneta Markets4.12
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
7
Min deposit, USD
50
Leverage
1000ZA
ZAR
Yes
20IronFX4.07
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
18
Min deposit, USD
100
Leverage
500ZA
ZAR
Yes
21CAPEX4.02
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
14
Min deposit, USD
100
Leverage
300ZA
ZAR
Yes
22FXGT.com4.01
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Min deposit, USD
5
Leverage
1000ZA
ZAR
Yes
23Plus5004
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
8
Min deposit, USD
750 ZAR
Leverage
30ZA
ZAR
Yes
24Trade Nation3.98
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
5
Min deposit, USD
0 group
Leverage
200ZA
ZAR
Yes
25Khwezi Trade3.96
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
4
Min deposit, USD
500 ZAR
Leverage
400ZA
ZAR
Yes
26Scope Markets SA3.92
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
9
Min deposit, USD
100
Leverage
1000ZA
ZAR
Yes
27Sasfin Securities3.85
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
ZAR
Yes
28FxPro3.82
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
7
Min deposit, USD
100
Leverage
200ZA
ZAR
Yes
29Headway3.77
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Min deposit, USD
1
ZAR
Yes
30Trive South Africa3.68
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
10
ZAR
Yes
31Unum Capital3.64
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
11
ZAR
Yes
32FXTM3.6
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
16
Min deposit, USD
10
Leverage
2000ZA
ZAR
Yes
33Standard Bank Online Share Trading (OST / SBG Securities)3.59
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
ZAR
Yes
34Tradu3.53
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Leverage
30ZA
ZAR
Yes
35FNB Share Investing3.17
Onboards
Local · FSCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
ZAR
Yes

How to read the ten below

Start with the figure this page ranks on.
Every row here is ordered by computed score, highest first; unscored brokers follow. A broker that publishes no figure is shown without one rather than guessed at.
Check which company would onboard you.
The same brand can take a resident of South Africa through a locally licensed entity or an offshore one, and the leverage cap, the complaint route and the protection all follow the entity, not the brand.
Read the cost beside the deposit.
The median round turn across this country is 7.0 USD and the median minimum deposit 50.0 USD; a low deposit beside a wide spread takes the difference back on every trade.

Neighbouring slices(6 rankings · 5 explainers)

Same country

Explained

FAQ

How many brokers qualify for this ranking in South Africa?: 56 of 104 brokers measured for this country qualify.
Which broker leads it, and on what basis?: HFM leads it with a score of 4.46. The order is computed score, highest first; unscored brokers follow.
What does a trade typically cost here?: The median round turn - spread plus commission for one standard lot, in and out - is 7.0 USD across the brokers that publish both parts.
Why do some rows show a dash instead of a figure?: Because the broker does not publish that figure for this country. A dash is a statement about what is published, and a figure is never filled in from a group-wide page as if it applied locally.
Why are only ten brokers shown here?: This page explains the term; the ten illustrate it. The full ranking lists 56 of 104 and is one click away.

How this slice is scored

Slice score = 2 + 3 × weighted mean of the six axes; the swap-free fee and availability feed price and reliability. A missing axis drops out and weights are renormalised; group-wide figures never enter. Full methodology

Verified · What changed · Sources(56 of 104 broker records)

Verified01.10.2026

data re-captured 28.09.2026

Risk warning and affiliate disclosure

CFDs are complex instruments with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. A swap-free account removes overnight interest, not market risk. We earn a commission on some links; paid rows are marked and never ranked first.