List of Licensed Forex Brokers in Asia – Top 5

Tap into emerging trends in Asian Forex Market.

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FSA

Best Regional Regulator

Runners up: ASIC, FCA, CySEC

42/48

Legal FX Countries

Based on research in 2021.

Stocks

Popular Trading Asset

Runners up:  Forex, Indices CFDs & Crypto.

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Non Deposit Bonus & Bonus on Deposit.

Asian Forex traders are one of the most active participants in the Forex industry. Hence, the list of Forex brokers in Asia is extensive and includes the top options for both beginner and advanced traders. There are multiple high-authority market regulators in the region which allow the traders to trade with reliable Forex brokers in Asia.

Some of the most renowned regulatory authorities in the Asian region are the Securities Commission of Malaysia (SCM), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), and the Financial Services Agency in Japan. All of these regulatory authorities propose certain guidelines and market standards that all regulated Forex brokers in Asia have to follow.

The regulatory bodies in Asia mainly establish a legal framework that demands regular audits of the brokerage companies and obliges brokers to hold segregated accounts for clients’ funds. Furthermore, they implement the rules for GDPR compliance, AML (anti-money laundering) laws, and margin requirements in certain regions. Most regulatory authorities will require special documentation for professional traders to allow more flexible leverages, such as the proof of trading experience, minimum trader’s equity, and financial expertise in trading.

Several authorities, such as SEBI in India do not allow Forex trading in currencies other than the national ones (Indian rupee in this case). That is why, depending on traders’ residential country, some individuals might prefer trading with more liberal international market regulators such as the DFSA in Dubai, CySEC in Europe, or FSCA in South Africa.

Top 5 Forex Brokers in Asia

Asian brokers are famous for their flexibility in trading conditions in contrast to European brokers who are much more restricted. However, it is important to distinguish between unregulated and licensed brokers in Asia. To ensure that you trade with an Asian broker offering a high standard of security we recommend that you go for the top 5 best Forex trading brokers in Asia as listed below.

AvaTrade XM Exness VT Markets Key To Markets
Trading Platform MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, DupliTrade, ZuluTrade MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Exness Terminal MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5
Max Leverage 400:1 1000:1 Unlimited 500:1 500:1
Markets Forex, Stock CFDs, ETFs, Commodities, Indices, Cryptocurrencies Forex, Cryptocurrencies, Stock CFDs, Commodities, Equity Indices, Metals, Energies, Shares Forex, CFDs on stocks, Indices, Commodities, Cryptocurrencies Forex, Commodities, Indices, Shares as CFDs Forex, Commodities, Indices, Cryptocurrencies, Shares as CFDs
Regulations Australia, British Virgin Islands, Ireland, Israel, Japan, South Africa, UAE Australia, Belize, Cyprus, UAE, UK British Virgin Islands, Curaçao, Cyprus, Kenya, Mauritius, Seychelles, UK Australia, South Africa, St. Vincent, and the Grenadines Mauritius, UK
Min. Deposit 100 USD 5 USD 10 USD 100 USD 100 USD
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XM
Trading Platform:
MT4, MT5
Max Leverage:
1:1000
Instruments:
Forex, Crypto, Stock CFDs, Turbo Stocks, Commodities, Equity Indices, Precious Metals, Energies, Shares.
Regulation:
CySEC, ASIC, IFSC
Min. deposit:
$5
Open an account
Exness
Trading Platform:
MT4, MT5, App
Max Leverage:
1:Unlimited
Markets:
Forex, CFDs, Crypto
Regulations:
FSA, CySEC, FCA, FSCA, CBCS
Min Deposit:
$10
Open an account
VT Markets
Trading Platform:
MT4, MT5
Max Leverage:
500:1
Markets:
Forex, CFDs, Crypto
Regulations:
ASIC, CIMA
Min Deposit:
$100
Open an account

AvaTrade

AvaTrade was established in 2006 and has grown significantly since then. The broker is very experienced in providing financial services globally. Currently, AvaTrade has more than 400,000 registered clients around the globe, including throughout Asia. The broker offers fast and reliable trade execution, and there are more than two million trades processed each month by AvaTrade. To meet the needs of different traders, Retail and Professional account types are offered. Trading fees with this broker are low, however, the administrative fees for keeping inactive accounts are high compared to the competitors. There are inactivity fees of 50 account currency (USD/EUR/GBP) per month after 3 months of inactivity.

AvaTrade is well-regulated in various countries and therefore can be trusted. The complete list of regulator countries includes Australia, the British Virgin Islands, Ireland, Israel, Japan, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.

Barriers to entry are low and traders can deposit as little as 100 USD to open live accounts. The broker enables traders to use various funding options, including Visa, Mastercard, bank wire transfers, Neteller, Skrill, and WebMoney. While credit card and online banking options are instant, bank transfers can take up to several business days to reflect.

AvaTrade
Min deposit: 100
Deposit to Qualify
€800
AvaTrade
Tailored Support, Fund Segregation & Overall Security
Sponsorships Remaining
8
Open an account

The maximum available leverage is 400:1. This means that by depositing 1 dollar, traders can gain access to managing 400 dollars. Increased purchasing power helps traders to profit from even the smallest market moves, however, this can lead to losing more money than what is on your trading balance. To prevent traders’ funds from going negative, AvaTrade provides negative balance protection.

XM

XM is one of the leading brokerages in Asia which offers a secure and transparent trading experience. It is one of the best options for the best Asian Forex traders for a number of reasons. First of all, the broker is regulated by reliable regulatory authorities including Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission, Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Financial Conduct Authority, and the International Financial Services Commission. Even though XM does not hold an Asian license at the moment, all four regulatory bodies, CySEC, ASIC, FCA, and IFSC are cooperating with Asian regulators such as FSA in Japan and DFSA in Dubai. 

Furthermore, XM offers Islamic trading account types for Muslim traders from Asian countries. The XM Islamic account frees its clients from paying interest rates, such as swap fees or rollover charges on overnight positions. This account type is in full compliance with Shariah laws. Moreover, XM Islamic account has won an award for the best Islamic account of 2020. 

The website of the broker, as well as the customer support, is available in multiple languages including Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, and South Korean. In addition to it, the broker also supports various base currencies for traders from Asia and allows them to establish an account in Japanese yen (JPY). 

XM
Min deposit: $5
Deposit to Qualify
€600
XM
Deposit Bonus, Live Education
Sponsorships Remaining
10
Open an account

XM is one of the top Forex brokers in Asia for its dedication to the best customer service. The broker offers a 30 USD no deposit bonus for all new registering clients from Asian countries without any investment requirements. Furthermore, Asian traders can start trading with XM for just a 5 USD minimum deposit.

Exness

Exness is a global financial broker that provides access to trading various asset classes including: Forex pairs, CFDs on Stocks, Indices, Commodities and Cryptocurrencies. The broker was established in 2008 and since its creation has managed to attract clients from all over the globe. Currently Exness has more than 1.8 registered customers. Out of which more than 300,000 are trading actively with more than 470 Billion monthly traded volume. 

Exness Group is regulated in 7 jurisdictions and therefore considered safe. The list of regulatory bodies include: Seychelles Financial Services Authority (FSA), Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), The Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom (FCA), South Africa Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten (CBCS), Financial Services Commission in British Virgin Islands (FSC) and Financial Services Commission in Mauritius (FSC). In addition to being strictly regulated, Exness increases the level of safety by providing negative balance protection. What’s more, the broker is a member of The Financial Commission Compensation Fund and keeps clients’ money in segregated accounts.

Exness
Min deposit: $10
Deposit to Qualify
$800
ECS
EAs discounts
Exness
Tailored Support, Fund Segregation & Overall Security
Sponsorships Remaining
10
Open an account

What makes Exness stand apart from the competition is the speed of execution. You don’t need to go through the lengthy process of registration, deposits and withdrawals. Withdrawals with this broker are instant and the customer support is always ready to help. 

Exness group offers a full set of MetaTrader platforms and easy-to-use, custom-built Exness Terminal. In order to suit various types of traders, the broker provides Standard and Professional account types. Spreads and commissions vary across different accounts, but in general are very reasonable. The maximum leverage offered by the broker is unlimited. In order to be able to open a Pro account you need to deposit at least $200. As for the Standard account, the minimum amount is starting from $10 and the amount depends on the payment system. 

In case you have already decided to open a trading account with Exness, keep in mind that Exness Group does not accept clients from several countries including the USA.

VT Markets

VT Markets is a multi-asset broker established in Sydney, Australia. The broker has more than 10 years of experience in the industry and is strictly regulated by top tier regulatory bodies such as ASIC, FCA of the UK and  the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA). VT Markets operates globally and serves more than 70,000 client accounts. With more than $100 Billion monthly trading transactions. 

The broker offers two types of accounts that are suitable for both intraday and position trading. What’s more, trading fees are affordable and very competitive. In addition, there’s no inactivity fees and most deposit/withdrawal options are not charged by the broker. 

VT Markets has won a number of prestigious awards such as: Best Customer Service (2021 Forex Expo), Fastest Growing Broker in Europe (2021 Global Brands Magazine) and others. Amazing customer service available 24/5 and user-friendly web page truly sets VT Markets apart from the competition.

You can trade various instruments with this broker. Including Forex pairs, Indices, Soft and hard commodities, US CFD shares, UK CFD shares, EU CFD shares and HK CFD shares. The total number of instruments is more than 1,000. The broker provides access to a full set of MetaTrader software including mobile apps and web trading platforms. 

VT Markets
Min deposit: $100
Deposit to Qualify
$800
ECS
EAs discounts
VT Markets
Tailored Support, Fund Segregation & Overall Security
Sponsorships Remaining
10
Open an account

The maximum leverage available for trading stock CFDs is 20:1. As for the FX pairs, leverage is up to 500:1. The minimum initial deposit required to open a live account with this broker is 100 base currency. 

Key To Markets

Key To Markets was founded in 2013 as a global CFD and Forex broker that is now regulated by a leading regulatory body, namely the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) of the UK. In addition, Key To Markets is regulated in Mauritius. In accordance with the rules and guidelines of these regulators, the broker provides traders with safety features such as negative balance protection and account segregation. There are many different trading styles, and in general, when it comes to fees, traders are grouped into two main categories. The first group prefers to pay spread markups and trade commission free. While for the second group, the opposite is true. What’s great about Key To Markets is that it offers both spread-free and commission-free account types. It’s important to note that spread-free doesn’t mean you will not see spreads, it simply means that the spreads will not have trading fees integrated into them. The available account types are Standard and Pro accounts.

Furthermore, the broker doesn’t accept clients from various parts of the world, including the USA, Iran, North Korea, and other countries where restrictions apply. Most Asian traders can open live trading accounts with this broker though. Customer support is available in various languages, including English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Key to Markets
Min deposit: $100
Deposit to Qualify
€800
Key To Markets
1:500 Leverage for EU traders
Sponsorships Remaining
8
Open an account

Top trusted FX brokers in Asia with the widest selection of tradable instruments

There are many Forex brokers that offer a range of tradable instruments beyond just currency pairs. These might include the likes of indices, CFDs on stocks, commodities such as precious metals and energies, crypto derivatives, etc. Before picking your next broker, it is important to make sure that it offers the instruments that you’re looking to trade, as many FX traders also enjoy dabbling in other markets.

It should be mentioned that most brokers that offer various asset classes for trading are also referred to as multi-asset brokers. Typically multi-asset brokers mostly offer CFDs in their portfolio. CFDs are great instruments for speculating in the short and medium term. CFDs enable traders to make money by price fluctuations without actually owning the underlying assets. There are various benefits that come with trading CFDs, including:

  • CFDs can be traded in both upward and downward directions, meaning that money can be made in both bullish and bearish market conditions. 
  • CFDs do not represent ownership and therefore are more comfortable to trade. For instance, when trading crypto derivatives, traders do not need to worry about how to store or cash out profits on their coins, as profits are added to the trading balance directly. 
  • There’s higher liquidity and consequently tighter spreads when trading CFDs. The reason is simple, there are more speculators that trade CFDs than there are investors for the underlying assets. 
  • Leverage can be applied when trading CFDs. As already mentioned, leverage helps traders to increase their purchasing power. 
Available instruments AvaTrade XM Exness VT Markets Key To Markets
Number of Forex pairs 64 57 98 49 65
Number of CFDs on Stocks 629 1,261 100 800 65
Number of real shares N/A 100 N/A N/A N/A
Number of crypto derivatives 19 31 35 N/A 4
Number of indices 30 14 10 24 15
Number of commodities 17 8 13 22 7
Total number of tradable instruments 1,250+ 1,471+ 256 1,000+ 156
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The best-trusted Forex broker in Asia with the lowest fees

Low trading fees can have a significant impact on a trader’s profitability, making it an important consideration when choosing a broker. Trading fees might seem insignificant at first glance, however, they can add up. An extra 1 pip spread becomes 100 pips in trading fees after conducting a hundred trades.

Depending on the asset class you are interested in trading, you can pick the best financial service providers from the reliable broker list below.

It should be mentioned that some brokers charge their clients fees on dormant accounts after traders stop placing orders for a certain period of time. You can see the inactivity fees for this list of brokers in the table below. The best way to avoid paying inactivity fees is to place small orders every now and then, or simply withdraw all funds from your account and close it out.

AvaTrade XM Exness VT Markets Key To Markets
Inactivity fees 50 USD/EUR/GBP per month after 3 months of inactivity 5 USD per month after 90 days of inactivity 0 USD 0 USD 0 USD
Trading fees on Forex pairs From 0.3 pips From 0.6 pips From 0.3 pips From 1.2 pips From 1 pip
Trading fees on CFDs on Stocks From 0.13% From 0 From 0.1 From 0 From 0.01
Trading fees on Shares N/A From 0 N/A N/A N/A
Trading fees on Crypto derivatives From 0.20% (Commissions on BTC/USD start from 0.20%) From 0.0017 From 4.2 N/A From 0.01
Trading fees on indices From 0.03 From 0.3 From 3 From 0.1 From 0.01
Trading fees on commodities From 0.0015 From 0.003 From 2 From 0.056 From 0.001
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The Bottom Line for Asian FX Brokers

It is an indisputable fact that the best way to choose a high-quality Asian brokerage company is to seek an internationally acclaimed and reputable Forex broker with authorization in several jurisdictions. In general, the more licenses a broker has the more reliable and safe it is. All of the brokers that we have discussed in the article are international companies with authorization to operate in almost every corner of the world. Even though half of their customer base comes from Asia, they do not discriminate against nationalities and provide the same quality service to all traders worldwide.

Asian Forex traders should look out for several things when they are looking for the best FX brokers in Asia. First of all, the broker should be licensed and regulated. Any trader should be able to look up the broker’s name within the directory or database of the respective market regulator. It is very unsafe to trade with unregulated Forex brokers in Asia. Secondly, traders should look for the pricing of the brokerage services. Ideally, they should look for the low-spread Forex brokers with 0 or very low commission levels. Finally, the top Forex broker in Asia should provide free educational resources, advanced trading tools, highly enhanced trading platforms (MT4, MT5 or WebTraders), and offer a dedicated customer support team.

The best Asia Forex brokers will always put an extra effort to provide the best trading experience to its existing and new registering clients. All Forex brokers that we have listed above in the article are part of the top 10 Forex brokers in Asia and satisfy the requirements that we have just mentioned. You can look for more broker options manually according to the same criteria. 

FAQs on Asia Forex Brokers

What is the best trading platform in Asia?
The best Forex trading platform in Asia is AvaTrade. The broker offers six different platform choices along with numerous modifications to support WebTrading, mobile trading, and desktop trading. AvaTrade offers the most popular traditional trading software choices - MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. It also supports copy trading platforms such as ZuluTrade and DupliTrade that are two of the most advanced automated trading terminals worldwide. Furthermore, AvaTrade offers proprietary trading platforms for the best Forex traders in Asia - AvaTrade GO and AvaSocial. The traders can get access to most of these platforms with a minimum deposit of 100 USD. However, ZuluTrade and DupliTrade require higher deposits starting from 250 US dollars.
Which broker is the best in Malaysia?
The best Forex broker in Malaysia is XM for several reasons. First of all, the broker allows its clients to start trading with the lowest minimum deposit requirement - just 5 US dollars. Secondly, XM offers thousands of financial instruments available on its platform with the top trading software supported - MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. Thirdly, XM has flexible leverage of 1:888 and four live trading account types. The traders can enjoy the lowest spreads on the market with XM starting at 0.7 pips on Forex currency pairs. Most importantly, XM is a highly regulated Forex broker with authorizations from four different reputable market regulators including CySEC, FCA, DFSA, and IFSA.
How do I find out if a Forex broker is licensed?
You have to first check the information available on the broker’s website. Usually, at the end of the page, the broker should present all the legal information and a regulatory framework, as well. If you cannot find such info you have to directly get in touch with the representative and ask for it. However, most regulated Forex brokers in Asia will want you to know that they hold licenses. Afterward, you should check if the broker is indeed registered with the regulatory body that they mention on their websites. To do so, visit the official website of the regulatory authority and go to the directory or database of licensed companies. Search the broker using its brand name or the license/registration number that they provide along with the information regarding regulation. The databases will include a list of the regulated Forex brokers in Asia by the respective authorities.

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