IG’s size allows it to provide scalable execution across the board – regardless of the product being traded. IG offers multiple execution methods beyond the market maker option available on its standard account. While IG can’t be considered a discount broker, it shines for the active trader pricing available through its Forex Direct accounts, and its ability to execute large orders. Spreads on its main Forex Direct account offering are closer to the industry average in 2025, with spreads averaging 0.62 during July 2023 or an all-in cost of 0.82 after factoring in a per trade commission equivalent of 0.2 pips.

CFD account average spreads: For both mini and standard-size contracts, typical spreads during the main trading session (22 hours each day from 0000 – 2200 GMT) averaged 0.69 pips for the month of July 2023 – which is slightly better than the industry average. It is worth noting that – just like with most forex brokers – IG’s spreads during low-liquid times can be higher than normal, averaging 1.03 pips when including the remaining hours in the trading day (2100 to 0000 GMT) during the same timeframe as the above July 2023 data. Otherwise, its average spread during the whole month of July 2023, including all trading sessions, was 0.98 pips for IG globally, whereas for IG US the EUR/USD pair averaged 1.18 pips during that time.

CFD account active trader rebates: For volume traders who qualify as professionals under EU rules, IG offers pricing discounts via its three-tier active-trader rebate program. In tier one, you can earn a 10% spread rebate if you transact over £50 million worth of forex volume per month. Meanwhile, if you trade over £300 million per month, the rebate jumps to as much as 20%. To put this into a different context, 20% off of 0.76 pips is 0.17 pips, which would result in an all-in cost of just 0.60 pips – a very competitive spread. In other regions, where permitted, IG’s premium trader program provides various perks and lifestyle benefits that require over $50 million in forex volume, $20 million worth of indices or commodities, or $5 million worth of share trading volume per month to be eligible.

DMA account (Forex Direct): For the savviest traders seeking more significant discounts than what is offered in the CFD account, the DMA account is an even better option than the active trader rebates on IG’s spread-only pricing. This commission-based offering, Forex Direct, is available via the DMA account and provides traders access to the L2 Dealer platform. The DMA account requires just a £1,000 minimum and uses a tiered pricing scale based on the trader’s previous month’s trading volume.

DMA account average spreads: With average spreads of 0.62 on the EUR/USD for July 2023 (including all trading sessions), the all-in spread will be be based on the commission you pay, with the base tier of $60 per million for traders that do less than $100 million per month. Traders that do over 1.5 yards (one yard = $1 billion in volume) see their per-side commission drop to $10 per million ($20 round-turn), resulting in an effective spread of 0.82 pips – using the July 2023 data.

Execution method: Forex Direct streams from interbank liquidity providers where IG acts as an agency broker. IG doesn’t add on any additional spread, instead adding a commission to each trade you make (similar to IC Markets, FP Markets, and FOREX.com.