Foreign Exchange (Forex) markets are the most traded market globally, recently reaching over $5 trillion in daily trading volume. However, forex investing is not without its challenges for the average trader. One of the major ones is selecting a forex trading brokerage platform most suitable for your needs. Some of the factors that come into play here are:
- Offering of currency pairs
- Forex trading spreads
- Trading and other fees
- Maximum leverage available
- Safety and regulation of the platform
- Trading platform’s features and tools
In this article, we will help you choose the best forex trading broker in Kenya for you.
Best Forex Brokers in Kenya
- Interactive Brokers: Best forex broker overall
- Fusion Markets: Best for lowest spreads
- Pepperstone: Best for high leverage
- Saxo: Best for the broadest selection of currency pairs
Best Forex Brokers in Kenya Compared
Broker | Interactive Brokers | Fusion Markets | Pepperstone | Saxo |
Number of currency pairs | 100+ | 90+ | 90+ | 185+ |
Maximum leverage (for forex) | 1:50 | 1:500 (Fusion Pro account) | 1:500 (professional clients); 1:200 (retail clients) | 1:30 |
Minimum deposit | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Minimum spread (pips) | 0.1 (0.08-0.2*trading value commission) | 0.0 ($2.25 per side commission) | 0.0 (Razor account); 1.0 (Standard account) | From 0.6 (VIP account) |
Deposit method | Bank transfer | Bank transfer, credit/debit cards, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller | Bank transfer, credit/debit cards, PayPal, Neteller, Skrill, Union Pay | Bank transfer, debit/credit cards |
Withdrawal fee | $0 (1 free per month) | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Spread comparison for the best Forex Brokers in Kenya
Broker | Interactive Brokers | Fusion Markets** | Pepperstone*** | Saxo Bank**** |
EUR/USD | 0.2 | 0.03 | 1.0 | 0.9 |
GBP/USD | 0.4 | 0.12 | 1.0 | 1 |
AUD/USD | 0.3 | 0.04 | 1.0 | 0.7 |
USD/JPY | 0.3 | 0.05 | 1.0 | 1.1 |
USD/CAD | 0.4 | 0.08 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
USD/CHF | 0.3 | 0.03 | 1.0 | 0.9 |
Gold* (XAU/USD) | 900 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 13 |
Silver* (XAG/USD) | 70 | 0.01 | 1 | 33 |
#1 Interactive Brokers
Interactive Brokers at a glance
Having been around since 1978, the Interactive Brokers’ major advantage is its reputation. It is also publicly listed on the NASDAQ exchange (ticker: IBKR), making it more regulated than some other platforms.
Regarding forex trading, Interactive Brokers is offering:
- 100+ currency pairs available
- Narrow spreads (starting at 0.1 pips)
- Low fees: 0.20 bps*trading value (lower for higher trading volumes)
- Real-time quotes from 17 of the world’s largest FX dealers
- Professional FX trading tools
Most notably, you will have access to the customisable FX Trader platform with many advanced features, such as 20 order types, extensive market data, a currency comparison tool, etc.
With Interactive Brokers, you also get significant interest on your uninvested cash, but only over $10,000 (or equivalent). The interest is in proportion to the Net Asset Value (NAV) of your account and it reaches the maximum at over $100,000 NAV.
Some downsides of using Interactive Brokers are the lack of commission-free forex trading, complex platform interface, and limited deposit options (bank transfer only).
Overall, Interactive Brokers is a good choice for both beginner and advanced forex traders looking for a secure broker with many currency pairs with low spreads and reasonable trading fees.
You can read more about them in our comprehensive Interactive Brokers review.
#2 Fusion Markets
Fusion Markets at a glance
Although a newbie in the industry (launched in 2017 and started accepting clients in 2019), Fusion Markets is a modern broker focused on delivering the lowest possible fees and good customer experience. They are based in Australia but also have branch offices in Seychelles and Vanuatu, making them regulated by financial institutions in three different countries.
Other than forex, this Australian broker also offers indices, commodities, cryptocurrencies, and US shares CFDs. The biggest difference between Fusion Markets and other brokers on this list is the offering of rock-bottom forex trading spreads (starting at 0.0 pips in their ZERO account).
They also offer a very high maximum leverage of 1:500, but only to Fusion Pro account holders. Retail investors can use maximum leverage of up to 1:30 when forex trading.
However, a $2.25 per side commission could be a big factor if trading with lower volumes. You can alternatively choose their Classic account with no fees but with spreads starting at 0.9 pips.
The fee structure is fairly simple, with no hidden fees such as inactivity or deposit/withdrawal fees.
They offer both live and demo accounts, with the latter trading with virtual funds. You can choose between different trading platforms inside the account, including Meta Trader 4, Meta Trader 5, and cTrader, with some of them offering mobile versions as well. There are even other platforms available, such as DupliTrade (copying other traders), Myfxbook Auto Trade (forex social trading platform), and Multi Account Manager (for professional traders managing money for their clients).
A very wide choice of platforms, 24-7 customer support, and some of the lowest spreads and commissions on the market make Fusion Markets liked by its users, as witnessed in their high 4.6 Trustpilot score.
Overall, Fusion Markets offers some of the lowest spreads and commissions in the forex trading industry, with many different trading platforms to choose from. Still, it can be pricey for lower trading volumes.
#3 Pepperstone
Pepperstone at a glance
74-89% of retail CFD accounts lose money.
Founded in Australia in 2010, Pepperstone is a reputable broker regulated by various top-tier financial institutions in different markets. Primarily a CFD broker, they offer CFD forex, commodities, indices, cryptocurrencies, currency indices, shares, and ETFs trading.
In a relatively short time, they amassed over 400,000 customers and became one of the largest global forex brokers by offering low forex trading fees, along with very good customer support (available 24 hours a day on workdays and 18 hours on weekends).
Some of the other pros of the platform include:
- A wide range of trading platforms, including MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView
- Very high maximum leverage of up to 1:500 for professional and 1:200 for retail accounts
- Multiple deposit options, with no minimum deposit ($200 is recommended)
Their customers seem to be fairly happy with the platform, awarding them a high average rating of 4.5 on Trustpilot.
However, the spreads and commissions on forex trading may vary wildly, depending on your account type and platform. For example, the Standard account doesn’t charge any commission but has substantially higher spreads than the Razor account, which in turn charges a minimum of USD 3 (per lot, per side) commission.
Using different trading platforms will also incur different commissions. You can see more detailed info about Pepperstone’s commissions, swaps, and spreads here.
If you are trading larger volumes, you can get discounts on your commissions through their Active Trader Program or by becoming a Premium client.
Some of Pepperstone’s downsides include subpar educational materials and relatively high forex spreads in their Standard account.
Overall, Pepperstone offers many different platforms and account types for different types of users, with high maximum leverage being a major feature.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 74-89 % of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
#4 Saxo
Saxo Bank at a glance
62% of retail CFD accounts lose money.
Founded in 1992 in Denmark, Saxo Bank is one of the most reputable global brokers. They are known for their very wide choice of financial products (over 71,000), access to a large number of market exchanges (over 120), and a large number of base currencies (18).
When speaking of forex trading, Saxo Bank has the broadest selection of currency pairs from all brokers on this list (185+), no trading fees, maximum leverage of 1:30, and reasonable spreads (starting at 0.6 pips).
Saxo Bank has, in general, been trying to appeal to professional investors. It has done so by offering advanced tools, such as its integration with the Trading View charting platform. The apps SaxoTraderGO and SaxoTraderPRO have also been tailored to the professional user, both by the number of their features and their relative complexity.
Three distinct account levels are available, based on your initial funding or trading volume points: Classic ($0 minimum or 0 points), Platinum ($200,000 min. or 120 000 points), and VIP ($1,000,000 minimum or 500,000 points), each with its own fee structure. You can see how many points you get for each product and trading volume here.
Their fee structure for products other than forex is fairly complex, and there are also some additional fees to be aware of. You can see the full fee structure in more detail on their website.
Although generally considered a high-fee broker, that is not the case when speaking exclusively of forex trading. With no trading fees, reasonable spreads, and a very wide selection of currency pairs, Saxo Bank is a good choice for forex trading for beginner and advanced investors alike.
To find out more about Saxo Bank, please read our in-depth review.
Bottom line
There are many factors one should take into consideration when choosing a forex broker in Kenya. We have tried to compile all the most important information in this article to help you make your own decision.
To summarise, this is our choice for the best forex brokers in Kenya: