HF Markets review 2026

Is HF Markets regulated?

HF Markets is connected with 7 recorded regulatory licence or licences. The entity relevant to users in Cyprus is HF Markets (Seychelles) Ltd, reported as regulated by Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission under licence number 183/12.

The broker operates through multiple legal entities. The regulator and protections applying to an account depend on which entity accepts the client, not simply on the broker brand displayed.

HF Markets holds tier-one authorisations from FCA and CySEC. That matters more than any headline spread: it determines your leverage cap, whether losses can exceed your deposit, and what happens to your money if the firm fails.

It also operates an offshore entity (FSC and FSA). Which one you are onboarded to depends on where you live, and the two carry very different protections - worth confirming before you deposit.

The FCA caps retail leverage at 1:30, mandates negative balance protection, and covers eligible clients under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

CySEC licences passport across the EU and follow the 1:30 retail leverage cap, with the Investor Compensation Fund covering eligible claims.

The FSCA licenses derivative providers in South Africa without a fixed retail leverage cap, so headline leverage is often higher than an FCA or ASIC entity may offer.

How safe is HF Markets?

Client money is held separately from the firm's own money, at Major regulated banking institutions. That separation is what makes your balance recoverable if the company fails, rather than part of the pool its creditors divide up.

Negative balance protection applies, so a losing position cannot take the account below zero and leave you owing the broker money.

Covered by FSCS up to £85,000 for eligible UK clients; ICF up to €20,000 for eligible CySEC clients, which pays eligible clients up to its limit if the firm fails owing client money.

Verify licence with FCA

HF Markets trading conditions

Trading conditions vary by account, platform, legal entity and client classification. The figures below reflect the latest information available to 88 Forex Brokers and should be confirmed before trading.

Spreads and commissions

HF Markets advertises spreads from 0.0 pips on InfinityX. The stated commission is From $3 per side / $6 round turn, Zero. Typical or live pricing may be higher than the advertised minimum, particularly outside liquid trading hours or during volatile markets.

A quoted spread from 0.0 pips is a raw-spread figure, which almost always means a separate commission per lot. Compare the two together - a "zero spread" account with a high commission can cost more than a wider spread with none.

Quoted spreads are best-case figures on the most liquid pair, in normal conditions. What you actually pay widens around news and at the session open.

HF Markets lists a minimum deposit of $0. Treat it as the cost of opening an account, not the cost of trading one - position sizing on a small balance is what tends to cause damage.

Spread type

Variable

EUR/USD average spread

Approx. 0.1 pips, Zero

GBP/USD average spread

Approx. 0.3 pips, Zero

Commission

From $3 per side / $6 round turn, Zero

All-in cost, EUR/USD

Approx. 0.7 pips

Leverage and margin

Maximum leverage is reported as 1:30, although the available limit depends on the account entity, instrument, client classification and local rules. Higher leverage increases both potential gains and losses and can lead to rapid account depletion.

Execution model

HF Markets describes its execution model as Market execution. The available information indicates an average execution speed of Approx. 120ms, order types of Market, limit, stop, stop-limit, stop-loss, take-profit, trailing stop and servers in London and other global financial data centres. Execution labels are not standardised across the industry, so review the order-execution policy and conflict disclosures rather than relying on a single term.

Trading rules

Expert advisers

Yes; Expert Advisors and automated trading supported

Copy trading

Yes, HFM Copy Trading

Negative balance protection

Yes

Scalping, Hedging, Stop-out level and Guaranteed stop loss: the broker does not publish enough information for us to confirm this trading condition.

HF Markets account types

HF Markets offers 7 reported account types. Compare the minimum deposit, spread model, commission, platform and eligibility before choosing an account.

HF Markets runs 7 account types. More choice is not automatically better: the tightest headline spread almost always sits on the account that also charges a commission, so the comparison that matters is the two added together.

Base currencies: USD, EUR, NGN, JPY, THB, IDR, GHS, USC for Cent. Holding the account in the currency you fund it with avoids a conversion charge on every deposit and withdrawal - a cost that never shows up in a spread comparison.

The smallest position is 0.01 lots. For anyone starting carefully this matters more than the minimum deposit, because it sets the least you can put at risk on a single trade.

A demo account is available. Worth using for the platform rather than the results: fills are simulated, so it tells you how the software behaves but very little about execution.

InfinityXCentZeroProPremiumCopy TradingDemo

Minimum deposit

$0

Spreads from

0.0 pips

Commission

From $3 per side / $6 round turn, Zero

Maximum leverage

1:30

Platforms

MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Proprietary platform

Base currencies

USD, EUR, NGN, JPY, THB, IDR, GHS, USC for Cent

Available markets

Forex, Metals, Commodities, Indices, Shares, ETFs, Bonds, Cryptocurrency CFDs

Minimum trade size

0.01 lots

Account opening time

Typically a few minutes

Demo account

A demo account is reported as available for testing the platform and practising with virtual funds. Demo pricing and execution may not match live conditions.

Islamic account

An Islamic or swap-free option is reported as available. Alternative charges, holding limits or eligibility conditions may apply.

HF Markets fees and trading costs

The total cost of trading can include spreads, commissions, overnight financing, currency conversion, deposit or withdrawal charges and inactivity fees.

Advertised spreads start from 0.0 pips, but typical pricing may be higher.

The reported trading commission is From $3 per side / $6 round turn, Zero.

Overnight financing applies to eligible positions at rates that can change.

An inactivity fee of $5/month applies after 6 months inactivity, increasing over longer periods.

A currency-conversion charge of Currency conversion applies where currencies differ may apply.

Spreads from

0.0 pips

Commission

From $3 per side / $6 round turn, Zero

Overnight financing

Both: overnight swaps apply; swap-free trading available on eligible instruments

Deposit fee

Not confirmed

Withdrawal fee

Not confirmed

Inactivity fee

$5/month after 6 months inactivity, increasing over longer periods

Currency conversion

Currency conversion applies where currencies differ

Fees can change and may differ by entity, platform, account or payment method. Confirm the full schedule before opening or funding an account.

Trading platforms and apps

HF Markets supports MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and Proprietary platform. Availability can differ by account and legal entity.

MetaTrader 4 remains the most widely supported platform for expert advisors. If you rely on an existing EA, this is usually the deciding factor.

MetaTrader 5 handles more asset classes and order types than MT4, but expert advisors are not compatible between the two - an MT4 EA will not run on it.

MetaTrader 4MetaTrader 5Proprietary platform

Proprietary platform

Yes, HFM Platform/WebTrader

Web platform

Yes

Mobile app

Both proprietary and third-party

Charting

100+ through TradingView integration; 30+ MT4; 38+ MT5

Third-party tools

TradingView, Autochartist, VPS, Premium Trader Tools

Server locations

London and other global financial data centres

Automated and copy trading

The broker reports support for expert advisers and automated strategies, copy trading and API access. Automated strategies can fail, amplify losses or behave differently under changing market conditions.

The platform range is broad. Its main advantage is support for MetaTrader 4; the principal limitation is the absence of cTrader and TradingView.

Markets available through HF Markets

The broker reports access to 1,000+ instruments across forex, metals, commodities, indices, shares, eTFs, bonds and cryptocurrency CFDs. Product availability depends on the account entity and platform.

Leverage is capped at 1:30 retail, which is the retail limit under tier-one regulation. It is a protection rather than a restriction: it caps how quickly a position can move against your balance.

The product range is strongest for forex, metals and commodities.

ForexMetalsCommoditiesIndicesSharesETFsBondsCryptocurrency CFDs

Markets, as published

Forex, Metals, Energies, Indices, Shares, Commodities, Bonds, ETFs, Cryptocurrencies

Total instruments

1,000+

Currency pairs

50+

Cryptocurrency CFDs

Yes

CFDs do not provide ownership of the underlying asset. Product terms, leverage and trading hours vary by market.

Deposits and withdrawals

Available funding methods include Visa, Mastercard, bank transfer, Skrill, Neteller, crypto and regional/local payment methods. Processing times, limits, fees and availability vary by country, currency and account entity.

Withdrawals are stated at Instant-24 hours for many alternative methods; cards/bank transfer 2-10 business days, against Cards up to 10 minutes; e-wallets instant-10 minutes; bank transfer 2-7 business days for deposits. A gap between the two is normal and not in itself a warning sign - identity checks are a legal obligation, not obstruction. What is worth noticing is a withdrawal that keeps meeting new conditions after those checks are done.

Withdrawal routes: visa, mastercard, bank transfer, e-wallets, crypto and supported regional methods. Money is usually returned by the route it arrived on, so the deposit method you pick is in effect the withdrawal method you are picking too.

The minimum withdrawal is $5 - relevant if you intend to fund the account lightly, since it sets the smallest amount you can take out at a time.

Identity, payment ownership and source-of-funds checks may be required before a withdrawal is processed.

Deposit methods

Visa, Mastercard, bank transfer, Skrill, Neteller, crypto and regional/local payment methods

Withdrawal methods

Visa, Mastercard, bank transfer, e-wallets, crypto and supported regional methods

Deposit time

Cards up to 10 minutes; e-wallets instant-10 minutes; bank transfer 2-7 business days

Withdrawal time

Instant-24 hours for many alternative methods; cards/bank transfer 2-10 business days

Deposit fee

Not confirmed

Withdrawal fee

Not confirmed

Minimum withdrawal

$5

Local payment methods

Multiple regional bank transfers, e-wallets, mobile payments and country-specific payment methods

View withdrawal complaints about HF Markets

Use a payment method held in your own name. The broker may reject third-party payments or require withdrawals to follow the original funding route.

Customer support

HF Markets provides support through Live chat, email, phone during 24/5. Supported languages include 27+ languages.

Support runs 24/5. Round-the-clock cover matters more than it sounds: a position held over a weekend or through an unexpected halt is exactly when you need somebody to answer.

Reachable by live chat, email, phone. A published telephone number is the one channel that is hard to fake and hard to ignore, so whether there is one says more than the number of channels does.

Languages: 27+ languages. Being able to raise a complaint in your own language is worth more than it appears, because complaints are where precision matters most.

Education: extensive: webinars, educational videos, courses, tutorials, ebooks, podcasts and trading guides. Treat broker-published material as an introduction rather than as advice - it is produced by a firm whose revenue rises when you trade more.

Support channels

Live chat, email, phone

Support hours

24/5

Languages

27+ languages

Telephone

+44 203 097 8571

Email

support@hfm.com

Live chat response

Typically under 2 minutes

Research and market analysis

Extensive: market analysis, Autochartist, trading calculators, technical analysis and market news

Education

Extensive: webinars, educational videos, courses, tutorials, ebooks, podcasts and trading guides

Is HF Markets a good broker?

Your decision should reflect your country, experience, preferred platform, trading costs and tolerance for financial and counterparty risk.

HF Markets is best considered by

• Traders who want a tier-one licence behind the account
• Traders who want raw spreads with a commission
• Traders who want a small first deposit
• Traders who want copy trading
• Traders who want automated strategies
• Traders who want MetaTrader

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