Forex Brokers in Malaysia
Looking for the best forex broker in Malaysia? There are a large variety of Forex brokers available to the Malaysian Forex trader of today. Forex trading is also fast evolving with new FX brokers emerging all the time and competition evolving at a rapid pace making it difficult for the Malaysian forex trader to stay on top of things. The 6 best forex brokers for Malaysia are:
- AvaTrade Forex Broker
- OctaFX Forex Broker
- BlackBull Markets Forex Broker
- NSB Forex Broker
- XTB Forex Broker
- Capex Forex Broker
However, the best Forex broker for one user may not be the best broker for another. It depends on your trading style, what you want to trade and your support needs. Some aspects are general and apply to all brokers, whilst some are more personal depending on your individual trading style, needs or beliefs. Islamic brokers might be preferred for most but not all traders.
Choose a Forex Broker
Forex broker regulation, however, is in our opinion very important for all traders when choosing a broker since it is a matter of how safe your investment will be. The best forex brokers in Malaysia are of course regulated, and many of them in many different countries by different regulators. Read this article for a definition of the different European Financial Regulators. Malaysia’s Islamic financial sector is governed by the Islamic Financial Services Act 2013 which sets out a framework with the principal regulatory objectives of promoting financial stability and compliance with Shariah. Today it is legal to trade forex in Malaysia as long as your broker is regulated with one of the major regulatory bodies in the world.
In this section we review various forex brokers, suited for Malaysian traders, based on regulation, usability, platforms, minimum deposit, spreads, customer support and many other criteria. Start by browsing our top list of recommended and trust worthy brokers below and continue by reading the individual reviews of each broker on the respective review pages that are linked from the top list. All forex brokers below are legal in Malaysia and also accept traders from Malaysia. Furthermore all of them offers Islamic accounts which will secure that you follow sharia law, and thus forex can be a good thing in Islam.
| Broker | Pros | Features | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Founded: 2006
Reg: Central...
HQ: Ireland... 4.9/5 97/100 |
- 20% New Member Bonus. |
Min. Deposit: $100 Leverage: EU - Up to 30:1, Professional Client/ROW up to 400:1 Trust Score: 97/100 |
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Founded: 2008
Reg: FCA, AS...
HQ: Cyprus... 4.7/5 94/100 |
- Beginner Friendly |
Min. Deposit: $250 Leverage: Up to 1:300 Trust Score: 94/100 |
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Founded: 2011
Reg: CySEC...
HQ: Cyprus... 4.6/5 92/100 |
- 50% bonus with every deposit! |
Min. Deposit: $5 Leverage: Up to 1:500 Trust Score: 92/100 |
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Founded: 2014
Reg: FMA, FS...
HQ: New Zea... 4.5/5 90/100 |
- 1:500 leverage |
Min. Deposit: $200 Pairs Offered: 300+ Leverage: 1:500 Withdrawal Process Time: Within 24hrs Trust Score: 90/100 |
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Founded: 2011
Reg: MFSA, F...
HQ: Malta... 4.6/5 91/100 |
- More than 70 assets available for trading |
Min. Deposit: $250 Pairs Offered: 70+ Leverage: 1:50 Trust Score: 91/100 |
Sign Up
54.6% of retail investor accounts lose money |
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Founded: 2002
Reg: FCA, Cy...
HQ: London... 4.6/5 92/100 |
- 24/5 Customer Support |
Min. Deposit: $250 Pairs Offered: 49 Leverage: 500:1 Withdrawal Process Time: 24-48 hours Trust Score: 92/100 |
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Founded:
Reg: FSCA, C...
HQ: Cyprus... 4.2/5 84/100 |
- Tight Spreads and Zero Commission. |
Min. Deposit: $100 Leverage: 1:2, 1:5, 1:10, 1:20, 1:30 Withdrawal Process Time: 2 Days Trust Score: 84/100 |
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Founded: 2009
Reg: ASIC, S...
HQ: Austral... 4.3/5 85/100 |
- Fast Execution |
Min. Deposit: $100 Pairs Offered: Over 40 forex pairs including major, minor and exotic Leverage: Up to 1:500 Withdrawal Process Time: Withdrawals are swift and with some payment providers are instant. Trust Score: 85/100 |
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Founded:
Reg: CySEC, ...
HQ: Cyp... 4.3/5 85/100 |
- Free demo account |
Min. Deposit: 1 USD, 1 EUR Leverage: Up to 1:500 Trust Score: 85/100 |
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Islamic accounts
As said the brokers above all offer Islamic accounts, but the registration processes differ and sometimes you can open an Islamic account immediately and sometimes you have to open a real money trading account that you then can convert to an Islamic account. The Islamic account will help you abide by the principles of Sharia law e.g. to not make interest on positions or taking too much speculation risk under the wrong conditions.
Top 10 Tips for Picking an FX Broker in Malaysia
Here we look at ten different factors that we believe are of significant importance when you consider choosing a Forex Broker in Malaysia, whether you are a beginner or advanced trader. The significance of each will differ depending on your needs, which in turn will depend on your trading style, your knowledge level and your type of trading.
1. Regulation and how safe is my money?
You wouldn’t put a large amount of your savings in a bank account if you did not know that the bank was secure and regulated would you? So similarly why would you deposit with an FX Broker unless you were confident your funds and profits are safe?
In the UK, this would mean looking for a broker that is regulated by the financial conduct authority (FCA). In the USA, the equivalent would be a broker regulated by the National Futures Association (NFA) and/or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). In Malaysia you are fine with a broker regulated by these bodies and others like CySEC or ASIC.
Opening an account with a broker regulated by any of the of the above should allow for protection if you as a depositor/ trader have an issue or grievance with the broker. The top list above includes brokers regulated by major regulatory bodies and therefore are both secure and also legal to trade with in Malaysia.
2. Spreads and/ or Commission
Brokers do not provide their services for nothing, so charge either commission per trade or more likely by the spread between the bid and offer prices. The wider the spread, effectively the more the trader has to pay to get into and out of each trade. So the narrower the spread, effectively the better off for the trader. Sometimes brokers offer fixed spreads, but often the spread will be variable depending on the volatility of the market.
3. Withdrawals and deposits
Most FX Brokers today offer very low requirements to open an account (from as little as £50). Brokers have differing policies with regard to depositing, funding and withdrawals. Are you able to fund the account from a bank account via wire transfer, via credit card, via PayPal? When withdrawing is this done via wire transfer, back to your bank account or credit card? Are there any withdrawal fees? Initial deposit requirements. Check this out.
4. Rollover interest (credit/ debit)
Some brokers charge a debit (or give a credit) for daily interest. This would be a consideration for any traders thinking of holding open positions over night. Not applicable for Islamic accounts, but if you’re not abiding by Sharia law this can be a good thing to look into.
5. Margin and Leverage
Many FX Trading accounts are based on the concept of margin and leverage. Leverage is basically the ability to increase the possible return on an investment or trade. A margin account allows the trader to use leverage by trading larger amounts than deposited in their account. This is because only the potential short term losses on the accounts need to be covered, not the full amount of the underlying asset. How much leverage any forex broker offers and the margin requirements may be a consideration when opening an account with a particular forex broker.
6. Types of forex accounts
There are different types of FX trading accounts which include more traditional cash exchange accounts, spread betting type accounts or CFDs (Contracts for Difference). The choice of which account to open will depend on your very specific needs and potentially even depend on your tax liabilities.
7. What markets can you trade?
All FX brokers in Malaysia offer trading in the major currency pairs, including EURUSD, USDJPY, GBPUSD and also USDMYR etc. Most also offer currency cross rates, ability to trade a large selection of currency pairs against each other.
In addition, many brokers offer the opportunity to trade other financial markets and assets. These would include equity indices, government bond markets and commodities (such as oil, gold, copper).
8. Trading platforms supported by the broker
Practically all brokers offer a trading platform, whereby the trader can access the various markets available to trade. Some brokers in Malaysia provide their own developed trading platforms, whilst others suggest downloading free platforms offered by third-party providers. There are many different factors to consider when looking at differing trading platforms including; ease of use, accessibility, trading tools on offer, charting packages, mobile/ tablet access etc. Please see our list of best trading platforms in Malaysia here.
9. Customer support
Many markets are now open 24 hours a day, five days during the week. So a strong customer support service would be open at all times during this time. Also, the speed of access to a live individual rather than an automated service should certainly be considered. Inevitably, when calling customer service it is usually with an issue, which as a trader you will likely want resolved as soon as possible. Opening hours is especially important when you’re located seven hours ahead of where the brokers accepting traders from Malaysia have their headquarters.
10. Demo account available?
Most, but not all, Forex Brokers offer demo trading accounts to practice on. A demo account allows you to test the trading platform and evaluate some of the above-mentioned factors. All forex brokers useful to traders from Malaysia in the top list above will offer demo accounts to new traders.