FOREX.com Review 2026: StoneX Europe, Accounts, Fees and Platforms

FOREX.com is a broker brand operating since 2001 and now owned by StoneX Group Inc. (NASDAQ: SNEX). EU clients are served by StoneX Europe Ltd, a Cyprus investment firm licensed by CySEC (CIF 400/21) and a member of the Investor Compensation Fund.

In short: in the EU FOREX.com offers a commission-free Standard account (spreads from 0.7), a RAW Spread account (from 0.0 pips + $5 per $100,000) and an MT5 account, a minimum deposit of 100 units of the account currency and free deposits and withdrawals. Drawbacks: a €15 monthly inactivity fee after 12 months, conversion of P&L to the base currency (up to ±1%) and no MT4 for EU clients. Checked on forex.com/ie and /pl-pl on 25 October 2026.

1. Is FOREX.com safe?

Yes. StoneX Europe Ltd is licensed by CySEC (CIF 400/21) and registered with Germany’s BaFin (no. 10160255). Client funds are covered by the Cyprus Investor Compensation Fund up to €20,000 and retail clients have negative balance protection. The brand is owned by NASDAQ-listed StoneX Group. FCA, CFTC or ASIC licences belong to other group companies and do not cover EU clients.

2. Accounts and trading costs

The RAW Spread account covers forex only. Share CFDs carry a commission: 0.08% of trade value for UK and most European shares, 1.8 cents per share for most US shares, minimum $10/€10.

3. Fees beyond the spread

• Inactivity fee: €15 (or equivalent) per month after at least 12 months without trades or open positions.
• “Back to Base” conversion: P&L in other currencies is converted to your base currency at up to ±1.0% from the market rate.
• Overnight financing: for positions open at 5 pm New York time; indices and shares use the reference rate (e.g. €STR, SOFR) ±2.5%.
• Guaranteed stop loss (GSLO): available on 12,000+ markets; the premium is charged only if the order is triggered.

4. Deposits and withdrawals

• Free deposits: card (Visa, Mastercard, Maestro) in your name, bank transfer (1–2 business days), PayPal, Skrill, Neteller.
• Minimum deposit: 100 units of the account currency; accounts in EUR, USD, GBP or PLN.
• Withdrawals only to the account holder’s bank account, usually in 1–2 business days; no FOREX.com fee.

5. Platforms and instruments

• FOREX.com platform (web and app) with analysis, calendar, Reuters news and Performance Analytics.
• MetaTrader 5 (no MT4 for EU clients) and TradingView integration.
• CFDs on forex, indices, shares, commodities, metals, crypto, ETFs, bonds and options.

6. Pros, cons and verdict

7. Alternatives

• Tickmill — Raw account from 0.0 pips, MT4 and MT5.
• XTB — CFDs plus real stocks and ETFs.
• Dukascopy — SWFX ECN backed by a Swiss bank.

8. How to open a FOREX.com account — step by step

1. Register on the FOREX.com website — EU clients should be served by an EU company: StoneX Europe Ltd (Nicosia, Cyprus) — CySEC CIF licence 400/21. Check the company name in your client agreement before depositing.
2. Enter your personal details and complete the questionnaire. Before offering CFDs, an EU broker must assess your knowledge and experience (the MiFID II appropriateness test) and warn you if CFDs are not appropriate.
3. Verify your identity with a passport or ID card and a proof of address (e.g. a utility bill or bank statement), as required by anti-money-laundering rules.
4. Choose the account type and base currency. An account in the currency you deposit in saves conversion costs.
5. Fund the account — minimum deposit according to the broker: 100 units of the account currency. Deposits are accepted only from accounts or cards in your own name; available methods: card, bank transfer, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller — free.
6. Install the platform (FOREX.com (web and app), MetaTrader 5, TradingView) or log in via your browser. Practise on a demo account first, if the broker offers one.

9. What trading with FOREX.com really costs

Below are the costs from the summary table above — taken from FOREX.com’s website and documents when we updated this review:

• EUR/USD spread and commission: Standard: from 0.7 with no commission; RAW Spread: from 0.0 pips + $5 per $100,000 traded
• Share CFDs: 0.08% (Europe, UK) or 1.8 cents per share (US), min. $10/€10
• Withdrawals: to a bank account, no FOREX.com fee

How to work it out: on EUR/USD one pip on a 1-lot position (€100,000) is worth about $10, so a 1-pip spread costs about $10 when you open the trade. A commission quoted “per lot per side” is charged twice — on opening and on closing. Add overnight swaps for every night the position stays open and any currency conversion if your account currency differs from the instrument’s. On 0.1 lot all these amounts are ten times smaller.

Inactivity fee: €15 per month after 12 months without trades or open positions. If you plan a long break from trading, withdraw your funds or close the account so the fee does not eat into your balance.

10. Withdrawing money from FOREX.com — how it works

You request a withdrawal in the client area. Under anti-money-laundering rules, funds usually go back via the method used to deposit (e.g. to the card up to the amount deposited by card) and only to an account or card in your own name. The first withdrawal may require full account verification, so upload your documents right after registering. Only free funds that are not used as margin can be withdrawn.

11. FOREX.com compared with other brokers

For comparison, here is FOREX.com next to other brokers whose reviews we updated in October 2026. Figures come from their summary tables — see the full reviews for details.

12. Leverage and client protection in the EU (ESMA)

As an EU investment firm, FOREX.com applies the restrictions introduced by ESMA and adopted permanently by national regulators to retail clients:

• leverage up to 1:30 on major currency pairs, 1:20 on other pairs, gold and major indices, 1:10 on other commodities and indices, 1:5 on shares and 1:2 on crypto;
• margin close-out at 50% of required margin;
• negative balance protection — retail clients cannot lose more than they deposited;
• a ban on bonuses and trading incentives for retail CFD clients;
• a mandatory risk warning with the share of losing retail accounts — for FOREX.com: 75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

Higher leverage is only available to professional clients who meet the MiFID II criteria — at the cost of some protections, including negative balance protection.

13. Tax on profits from FOREX.com

Tax treatment depends on your country of residence. FOREX.com generally does not file tax returns for you, so keep the annual statement of trades from the client area. For Polish residents: profits from a foreign broker are reported in the PIT-38 return (19% tax), with foreign-currency amounts converted at the National Bank of Poland average rate from the business day before each trade.

14. Glossary: terms to know before opening a FOREX.com account

• Spread — the difference between the buy and sell price, paid on every trade.
• Pip — the smallest typical price move of a currency pair (0.0001 for EUR/USD).
• Lot — the standard position size: 1 forex lot is 100,000 units of the base currency; 0.01 lot (micro lot) is 1,000.
• Commission — a fixed fee per trade, usually on raw-spread (ECN/Raw) accounts.
• Swap — the daily cost or credit for holding a position overnight, based on the interest-rate differential.
• Margin — the part of the position value set aside as collateral; at 1:30 leverage about 3.33% of the position.
• Margin call and stop out — a warning and automatic closing of positions when equity falls relative to required margin.
• Slippage — execution at a different price than requested, common around news releases and price gaps.

15. FAQ

Risk warning: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. This review is for information only and is not investment advice.