NZ Forex Brokers In May 2022

TradeMax Global Markets

TradeMax Global Markets (TMGM) recently acquired an FMA financial license to operate in New Zealand. The forex and CFD broker was founded in Australia in 2013 and is well known for its competitive no dealing desk execution and ECN trading environment.

TMGM offer commission and commission-free pricing structures. Both trading accounts require a minimum deposit of $100 and use fast ECN execution methods.

• Edge Account: Raw spreads from 0.0 pips + $3.50 commission fee per side
• Classic Account: No commission spreads from 1.0 pip

An Islamic account option is only available for those following Sharia Law and on the edge account.

As well as a good selection of account types with low spreads, TMGM offer three popular trading platforms:

• MetaTrader 4 (MT4) – Good for all TMGM products but shares only available business hours
• MetaTrader 5 (MT5) – Good for all TMGM products (coming soon – Jan 2022)
• IRESS – for share trading using DMA only

In total, thousands of CFDs can be traded with TMGM. Just keep in mind that if you want to trade shares, IRESS is your best option as you can trade shares all hours.

Regardless of the trading platform you choose, TMGM utilises diverse liquidity sources to achieve ultra-tight spreads and fast execution speeds. Overall, there are many benefits as a TMGM trader, you can access tight spreads from 0.0 pips + low commission fees, use the worlds best trading platforms plus access a wide selection of CFDs.

CMC Markets Has The Highest Leverage Level

CMC Markets is a multi-regulated global broker that has a long history of facilitating CFD trading for retail traders. The broker offers its brokerage services across the world with FCA regulation (formally FSA) in the UK to ASIC regulation in Australia. Within New Zealand, they are licenced by the FMA to provide contracts for difference (CFDs) and countdowns across:

• Forex
• Indices
• Shares
• Commodities
• Treasuries
• Cryptocurrencies

CMC Markets Spreads

Below shows the spreads offered by the regulated broker on the core markets, ranging from Forex to cryptocurrencies.

Most CFDs have trading costs included in the spread with no additional commission fees. Spreads for most major currency pairs start from 0.7 pips and you can choose from over 300 currency pairs. Other CFD products with no commission fees include indices, cryptocurrencies, hard and soft commodities and treasuries.

If you do wish to purchase share CFDs, then you can choose over 9000 shares across 23 markets including NZX, ASX, NYSE, LSE. The commission will vary for each market but if you trade on the NZX the fee is 0.10% with a minimum charge of NZD 7.00. Trading on the ASX will cost you 0.09% with a minimum fee of AUD 7.00 while the US stock exchange charges 2 cents (min. USD 10.00).

Trading Platforms

CMC offers a choice of two different trading platforms. Next Generation, a proprietary CMC Markets trading platform is available along with the ever-popular MetaTrader 4 (MT4) software. I can access both software options via a desktop trading platform, web trader platform or mobile trading apps for Android and iOS devices.

While most proprietary platforms lack advanced technical analysis tools, Next Generation is on par with mainstream options like MT4. To help you develop robust trading strategies, the platform offers 115 in-built technical indicators and over 70 chart patterns across 12 types of charts.

Perhaps the most interesting feature is the availability of a guaranteed stop-loss order (GSLO). As CMC has its own trading platforms, it is one of few brokers that can offer this feature. A GSLO is the same as a stop-loss order but CMC will guarantee to close out of the trade at the price you set for a small premium. This means you don’t need to worry about being caught out in the event of slippage or market volatility. Best of all, if you close your trade without needing to use the GSLO, then the entire GSLO cost will be refunded.

No initial minimum deposit is enforced by CMC Markets, meaning you can open a trading account with as little as $1. To get started, you can deposit trading funds using a credit card, direct deposit or Paypal.

Leverage With CMC Markets

CMC Markets offers leverage on major currency pairs of up to 500:1. There is a high level of risk when trading CFDs with high leverage, so only experienced traders with a high-risk threshold should consider choosing the maximum leverage available.

Maximum leverage ranges for other products with 500:1 of indices, 400:1 for treasuries, and 200:1 for commodities. You can view more leverage information on the CMC Markets review. It should be noted leverage is more limited if you are trading with the broker’s ASIC (Australia), FCA (UK) or CySEC (Cyprus) regulated subsidiaries.

Should you start trading with CMC, it may useful to note that this broker does have an office in New Zealand (not all brokers do) at Level 25, 151 Queen Street, Auckland which can be useful if you desire a broker with a local presence.

Open a demo account >>Visit CMC Markets >>

IG Markets Has The Best Range Of Financial Services

IG is one of the largest retail fx brokers worldwide marketing itself as an all-in-one trading solution provider. They provide stockbroking, currency, and CFD trading services across a number of forex platforms.

IG Markets is a market maker, meaning they use internal liquidity to fill your orders and act as the counterparty to your trade (compared to no dealing desk brokers that connect you to external liquidity providers).

Market maker brokers like IG offer commission-free spreads, making them a good option for traders looking for a simpler cost structure. Traders also benefit from a range of inclusive tools that come with their account include a range of risk management tools and a large education library about trading. You can find more about IG with our in-depth review here.

If you choose to do share trading, IG offers NZ traders share with market-based spreads across 12,000 companies and a 0.09% commission per side (minimum of NZ $7).

If you prefer to trade forex, you can choose from over 100 currency pairs including AUD/USD and EUR/USD CFDs that have an average spread of 0.75 pips.

Overall, spreads and commissions vary by CFDs with some more competitive than others. CMC overall spreads and commissions were viewed as more competitive compared to IG.

Trading Products

IG offers a large and diverse range of products for trading across over 17,000 markets making it a great option for portfolio diversification. Very few brokers can offer the range of products that IG Markets provide access to. Financial products include:

• Forex
• Indices
• Shares CFD
• Hard & Soft Commodities
• Cryptocurrencies
• Bonds
• Options
• ETFs
• Interest Rates
• Sectors
• Digital 100s (Binary trading)
• Knock-out options

Should you wish to sign up with IG, it may be useful to know the broker does not have an office in New Zealand.

Regulation

IG is a large global broker that holds multiple regulation licences including New Zealand’s FMA. Some of the other tier 1 licences include Australia (ASIC), the UK (FCA), Germany (BaFin), and even UAE (DFSA).

Open a demo account >>Visit IG Markets >>

Plus500 Has The Best Crypto CFD Trading Platform

When trading with Plus500, you can choose from the following CFD products:

• Indices – 27 country indices and 4 sector indices including Cannabis Stocks, Crypto 10, Real Estate Giants
• Forex – Over 60 major, minor and exotic currency pairs
• Commodities – All the popular commodities plus some unique options like Low Sulphur Gasoil, Lean Hogs Cattle
• Cryptocurrencies – 12 currency pairs including Tron, Monero, Cardano and Crypto 10 Index
• Shares/Stocks – Choice of 24 international markets such as Australia, Germany, Singapore, US, UK
• Options – including selected stocks like Amazon and Alphabet and Indices such as US 500 and UK 50
• ETFs – Over 50 ETFs

Plus 500 has its own trading platform which means it can offer a range of tools not always found with other brokers. These include:

• Stop-loss order
• Trailing-stop loss
• Stop-limit functionality
• Guaranteed stops for an additional fee that ensures a trader can’t lose more than a specified amount on a CFD trade.
• Negative balance protection – This ensures a trader doesn’t go into a negative balance and the NZ CFD provider exits the trader when they approach $0. If the trader does go into negative, Plus500 will cover the additional losses.

Plus500 is not only FMA regulated. The broker is licensed in several financial jurisdictions such as South Africa (FSCA), Singapore (MAS) and Europe (CySEC). One weakness of choosing Plus500 is that the broker does not have an office in New Zealand, which may present issues should you want to engage with the broker in person.

Open a demo account >>Visit Plus500 >>

*Your capital is at risk ‘72% of retail CFD accounts lose money’

Hantec Markets Is A Leading NZ MetaTrader 4 Broker

Hantec Markets New Zealand is part of the Hantec Group which also operates regulated entities for forex trading in Australia, Japan, England and Vanuatu. The company has its headquarters in Hong Kong where it was founded 30 years ago and has been licenced to offer derivatives by the FMA in New Zealand since November 2018.

Hantec Accounts

Choosing Hantec Markets gives you access to commissions free spreads starting from 0.6 pips. The broker uses straight-through processing (STP) which means there is no dealing desk. No dealing desk interference ensures your orders receive the most optimal execution and pricing when you trade.

Trading products available with Hantec Include:

• Forex
• Commodities (Gold, Silver, US/UK oil)
• Indices

Hantec MetaTrader 4 Platform

Hantec offers the most popular forex trading platform, MetaTrader 4, for both Windows and Mac (via an emulator). This is the platform most used by online brokers worldwide and by many of the top retail traders participating in forex markets. MetaTrader 4 (MT4) is suitable for a range of trading experience forex traders with Hantec Markets offering different base currency options including GBP, USD and EUR. There is also the option of a demo account to trade virtual funds before real money.

Visit Hantec >>

Jarden Securities Is The Top NZ Broker

One of the top forex brokers in NZ is Jarden Securities. Jarden specialises in trading derivatives and offers the following products for trading:

1. FX Hedging and Payment – an advisory service for forward and spot contracts
2. Equity Markets – connects NZ investors to equity products including ETFs, equities and various CFDs
3. Futures Market – access to the most active exchanges to trade financial instruments ranging from commodities to interest rates
4. Carbon Trading – a facility to trade OTC derivatives and spot carbon markets
5. Power – exchange-traded OTC electricity future contracts to help power companies hedge

Jarden Markets Trading Platforms

Jarden offers a choice of 3 platforms for trading. When choosing your platform, it is important you have mapped out your trading strategy as each platform offers different market access. The following platforms are available:

1. Jarden CommTrade – designed for Carbon trading in the NZ market
2. Jarden X24 – for competitive fx rates and international payments
3. Jarden Market Trader – the best choice for the widest range of products for trading. Good for trading equities CFDs, options, futures, forex and selected commodities.

Market Trader Trading Platform

Market Trader has lightning-fast execution which makes the platform popular with scalpers, high-frequency traders, copy traders and automation. In addition to this, the platform has a number of useful technical analysis features such as multi-charting and multiple time frames. As a trader, you will have access to more than 50 order types and algorithms to assist you in making the correct trade.

If you choose Jarden’s Market Trader platform you’ll gain access to the following features:

• CFDs in multiple currencies and Direct Market Access (DMA) to options
• Risk management tools including a margin calculator
• 50+ order types and algorithms for traders looking to automate their strategies
• Daily market reports with commentary and research papers

Rockfort Markets Offers NZ Share And Forex Trading

Rockfort Markets is an FMA regulated broker that offers both the trading of CFDs and shares. Two popular mainstream trading platforms can be used to access the broker’s range of financial markets, being MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and cTrader. Both forex platform solutions can be utilised on mobile through iOS and Android apps.

Contracts For Difference (CFDs)

A range of financial instruments is available to trade with Rockfort Markets as CFDs or physical assets. 54 major and minor currency pairs can be traded as CFDs, with the pricing structure dependent on the account type you sign up to:

• MT4 Standard Account: Forex spreads start from 0.9 pips with no commission fees
• MT4 Pro Account: Fx spreads from 0.6 pips plus round-turn commission from $7 per lot
• Trader Workstation: Commission fees start from USD $6 per side, Active Trader rates are available.

Along with forex trading, the online broker offers the following asset classes to trade as CFDs:

• 5 cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin and Ripple
• 2 precious metals: Gold and silver
• 2 commodities: Brent and Crude Oil
• 11 indices: including the UK 100, US SPX 500 and Australia 200
• 8,800 single share CFDs

As well as CFDs, longer-term investment opportunities include trading shares, options, futures and ETFs as physical assets.

Share Trading

Rockfort Markets provide access to thousands of different stocks to trade from 14 different countries. Brokerage fees are competitive:

• Australian Shares: Whichever is greater than AUD $18.95 or 0.1895%
• US Shares: Whichever is greater than USD $9.95 or USD $0.02 per share

Overall, Rockfort Markets may be well-suited if you are looking to trade a range of CFDs alongside a selection of longer-term investments such as stocks and ETFs.

HFTrading

HFTrading is an NZ broker that is regulated locally by the FMA and by ASIC in Australia. HFTrading is a MetaTrader 4 broker, with over 300 CFDs available to trade on the platform, including cryptocurrency, stocks, ETFs, indices, commodities and forex pairs.

The kiwi broker offers NZ and Australian traders three account types:

• Silver Account: Minimum deposit of $250 and spreads from 2.8 pips commission-free.
• Gold Account: Minimum deposit of $5000 per day, commission-free spreads from 2.0 pips
• Platinum Account: $10,000 daily minimum deposit and spreads from 1.8 pips with no commission fees and 50% swap discount.

Cryptocurrency Trading

HFTrading is one of the best brokers in New Zealand for crypto trading with 20+ different CFDs that can be traded against the US Dollar (USD), Euro (EUR) and/or the Great British Pound (GBP).

• Bitcoin
• Bitcoin Cash ABC
• Bitcoin Cash SV
• Bitcoin Gold
• Ethereum
• Ethereum Classic
• Litecoin
• Dashcoin
• Stellar
• Cardano
• Ripple
• IOTA
• Lisk
• NEO
• QTUM
• NEM
• Zcash
• Verge
• Siacoin
• Monero

In terms of other charges and trading costs, HFTrading charges no deposit or withdrawal fees when managing your account balance. As with any broker, swap fees apply for positions held open overnight.

It is worth noting a hefty inactivity fee may apply for traders that do make open or close a trade for more than 60 consecutive days. If you are inactive for 61 days the broker may charge $160, and if you don’t trade for 271 days, you may incur a $500 fee.

Overall, HFTrading could be a good option if you are a high volume trader making large deposits and actively trading. Otherwise, between the wide spreads and high inactivity fees, trading costs may add up.