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BX Bayan FX
Independent broker comparison

The clear, honest guide to forex brokers in Asia

Bayan FX is an independent guide to forex and CFD brokers across Asia — regulator-checked reviews, swap-free (Islamic) account guidance, and the honest local legality for India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. We are not a broker and do not provide investment advice.

15
brokers reviewed
4
markets covered
  • Independent Brokers can't pay for ranking
  • Regulation-checked Every licence verified on a register
  • No fabricated data Spreads & ratings only when verified

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Which broker is right for you?

Editor's pickCySECFCAFSCA
Exness

Est.2008 · Exness Partners

Why it's our #1

Exness is our #1 pick because it combines three real regulatory licences (CySEC, FCA, FSCA) with the strongest fit for the region's Islamic-account wedge: it automatically applies swap-free conditions for clients in many Islamic countries, including Indonesia and Malaysia. Founded in 2008, it also runs its own Exness Terminal alongside MT4 and MT5. It is not locally licensed in any Asian market, so confirm the entity that serves you before depositing.

Platforms:
MT4 · MT5 · Exness Terminal

Quick picks

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Forex brokers at a glance

Independently selected and regulation-checked. We do not publish star ratings until a hands-on review is complete.

Exness Est. 2008
Regulation
CySECFCAFSCA
Platforms
MT4 · MT5 · Exness Terminal
Admirals Est. 2001
Regulation
FCACySECASIC
Platforms
MT4 · MT5
AvaTrade Est. 2006
Regulation
CBIASIC
Platforms
MT4 · MT5 · AvaTradeGO
FBS Est. 2009
Regulation
CySECASIC
Platforms
MT4 · MT5 · FBS Trader
XM Est. 2009
Regulation
CySECASIC
Platforms
MT4 · MT5
Octa Est. 2011
Regulation
CySEC
Platforms
MT4 · MT5 · OctaTrader
IC Markets Est. 2007
Regulation
ASICCySEC
Platforms
MT4 · MT5 · cTrader
Pepperstone Est. 2010
Regulation
ASICFCACySEC
Platforms
MT4 · MT5 · cTrader
FP Markets Est. 2005
Regulation
ASICCySEC
Platforms
MT4 · MT5 · cTrader
OANDA Est. 1996
Regulation
FCAASICMAS
Platforms
OANDA Trade · MT4 · TradingView
CMC Markets Est. 1989
Regulation
FCAASICMAS
Platforms
CMC Next Generation · MT4
IG Markets Est. 1974
Regulation
FCAASICMAS
Platforms
IG Platform · MT4 · ProRealTime
Saxo Bank Est. 1992
Regulation
FSAMASASIC
Platforms
SaxoTraderGO · SaxoTraderPRO
Regulation
SECFCAASIC
Platforms
IBKR Trader Workstation · IBKR Mobile
Capital.com Est. 2016
Regulation
FCACySECASIC
Platforms
Capital.com Platform · MT4

Reviews

Featured brokers

Exness

Est. 2008 · Exness Partners

CySECCyprusFCAUnited KingdomFSCASouth Africa

Founded in 2008, Exness is an internationally regulated broker (CySEC, FCA, FSCA) offering MT4, MT5 and its own Exness Terminal. It automatically applies swap-free (Islamic) conditions for clients in many Islamic countries, including Indonesia and Malaysia — confirm the terms for the entity that serves you. It is not locally licensed in most Asian markets.

Platforms: MT4 · MT5 · Exness Terminal

Admirals

Est. 2001 · Admirals Partners

FCAUnited KingdomCySECCyprusASICAustralia

Admirals (formerly Admiral Markets, founded 2001) is regulated by the FCA, CySEC and ASIC and offers MT4 and MT5 with swap-free (Islamic) account options. It holds internationally recognised licences but is not locally licensed in most Asian markets — confirm the entity that serves your country and verify Islamic account terms before depositing.

Platforms: MT4 · MT5

AvaTrade

Est. 2006 · AvaTrade Partners

CBIIrelandASICAustralia

AvaTrade (founded 2006) is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland and ASIC and offers MT4, MT5, its AvaTradeGO mobile app and a web trader. It provides Islamic (swap-free) accounts for eligible clients. It holds international licences but is not locally licensed in most Asian markets — confirm the entity and Islamic account conditions that apply to you before depositing.

Platforms: MT4 · MT5 · AvaTradeGO · WebTrader

FBS

Est. 2009 · FBS Partners

CySECCyprusASICAustralia

FBS (founded 2009) is regulated by CySEC and ASIC and offers MT4, MT5 and its FBS Trader app, with swap-free Islamic accounts available. It holds international licences but is not locally licensed in most Asian markets — verify the entity that serves your country on the relevant regulator's register first.

Platforms: MT4 · MT5 · FBS Trader

XM

Est. 2009 · XM Partners

CySECCyprusASICAustralia

Operating since 2009, XM is regulated by CySEC and ASIC and runs on MetaTrader 4 and 5. It offers an Islamic (swap-free) account on request for eligible clients. Like its peers, XM holds international licences but is not locally licensed in most Asian markets — verify the entity that serves your country before depositing.

Platforms: MT4 · MT5

Octa

Est. 2011 · Octa Partners

CySECCyprus

Octa (founded 2011) is a CySEC-regulated broker offering MT4, MT5 and its in-house OctaTrader platform, with swap-free / Sharia-compliant accounts available. It holds an international licence but is not locally licensed in most Asian markets — confirm the entity and conditions that apply to you before depositing.

Platforms: MT4 · MT5 · OctaTrader

IC Markets

Est. 2007 · IC Markets Partners

ASICAustraliaCySECCyprus

IC Markets (founded 2007) is regulated by ASIC and CySEC and supports MT4, MT5 and cTrader. It is widely known among active and algorithmic traders. It holds international licences but is not locally licensed in most Asian markets — confirm the entity that serves your country before depositing.

Platforms: MT4 · MT5 · cTrader

Pepperstone

Est. 2010 · Pepperstone Partners

ASICAustraliaFCAUnited KingdomCySECCyprus

Pepperstone (founded 2010) is regulated by ASIC, the FCA and CySEC and offers MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView. It holds several international licences but is not locally licensed in most Asian markets — verify the specific entity that serves your country on the regulator's register before depositing.

Platforms: MT4 · MT5 · cTrader · TradingView

FP Markets

Est. 2005 · FP Markets IB Program

ASICAustraliaCySECCyprus

FP Markets (founded 2005) is regulated by ASIC and CySEC and supports MT4, MT5, cTrader and IRESS. It is an Australian-headquartered broker with a long track record among ECN traders. It holds international licences but is not locally licensed in most Asian markets — verify the entity that serves your country before depositing.

Platforms: MT4 · MT5 · cTrader · IRESS

OANDA

Est. 1996 · OANDA Partner Program

FCAUnited KingdomASICAustraliaMASSingaporeCFTCUnited States

OANDA (founded 1996) is one of the longest-established forex brokers, regulated by the FCA, ASIC, MAS and CFTC across major jurisdictions including Singapore. It offers its own OANDA Trade platform, MT4 and TradingView. It is not locally licensed in most other Asian markets — confirm the entity and licensing status before depositing.

Platforms: OANDA Trade · MT4 · TradingView

CMC Markets

Est. 1989 · CMC Markets Introducing Broker

FCAUnited KingdomASICAustraliaMASSingapore

CMC Markets (founded 1989) is one of the most established names in retail forex and CFDs, regulated by the FCA, ASIC and MAS. It operates its proprietary Next Generation platform alongside MT4. It holds licences in Singapore but is not locally licensed in most other Asian markets — verify your country's status before depositing.

Platforms: CMC Next Generation · MT4

IG Markets

Est. 1974 · IG Introducing Broker

FCAUnited KingdomASICAustraliaMASSingapore

IG Markets (founded 1974) is one of the world's oldest and largest spread betting and CFD providers, regulated by the FCA, ASIC and MAS. It offers its proprietary platform, MT4 and ProRealTime. Regulated in Singapore; not locally licensed in most other Asian markets — confirm the entity that serves your country before depositing.

Platforms: IG Platform · MT4 · ProRealTime

Saxo Bank

Est. 1992 · Saxo Introducing Broker

FSADenmarkMASSingaporeASICAustralia

Saxo Bank (founded 1992) is a Danish-regulated investment bank and multi-asset broker, also licensed by MAS in Singapore and ASIC in Australia. It offers SaxoTraderGO and SaxoTraderPRO across forex, equities and derivatives. It operates across parts of Asia but is not locally licensed in most Asian retail markets — check the entity that serves you.

Platforms: SaxoTraderGO · SaxoTraderPRO

Interactive Brokers

Est. 1978 · IBKR Introducing Broker

SECUnited StatesFCAUnited KingdomASICAustralia

Interactive Brokers (founded 1978) is a US-headquartered, SEC-regulated broker with global reach including FCA and ASIC licences. It is primarily positioned at active and professional traders via its Trader Workstation platform. It is not locally licensed in most Asian retail markets — verify the entity and terms that apply to your country before opening an account.

Platforms: IBKR Trader Workstation · IBKR Mobile

Capital.com

Est. 2016 · Capital.com Partner Program

FCAUnited KingdomCySECCyprusASICAustralia

Capital.com (founded 2016) is regulated by the FCA, CySEC and ASIC and offers its proprietary AI-assisted platform alongside MT4. It is one of the newer entrants in the regulated broker space. It holds international licences but is not locally licensed in most Asian markets — verify the entity that serves your country before depositing.

Platforms: Capital.com Platform · MT4

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Frequently asked questions

What is Bayan FX?

Bayan FX is an independent publisher comparing forex and CFD brokers for Asian markets — Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and India. We verify every regulatory claim against the regulator's own register, treat swap-free (Islamic) accounts as a first-class question, and never accept payment for a better review.

Is forex trading legal in India?

For Indian residents, offshore and leveraged retail forex is illegal under FEMA and the RBI's Liberalised Remittance Scheme. The only legal route is INR currency-derivative pairs on SEBI-registered exchanges (NSE, BSE). Our India page is honest-legality information only — we do not list or promote offshore brokers to Indian residents.

What is a swap-free (Islamic) forex account?

A genuine swap-free account removes overnight interest (riba), making it suitable for observant Muslim traders in markets like Indonesia and Malaysia. Beware the trap version: a fixed 'administration fee' that grows the longer you hold a position is riba relabelled. Always confirm the fee structure on the account agreement, not the marketing page.

Are the brokers you list regulated in my country?

The brokers we review hold international licences (CySEC, FCA, ASIC, FSCA) but are usually not locally licensed in Asian markets, where regulators rarely license retail spot forex. That is why some appear on local warning lists — 'unlicensed locally', not 'scam'. Always verify the specific entity on its home regulator's register before depositing.