A ranking of FMA regulated brokers comparing forex spreads.

This content was produced by Compare Forex Brokers and is being published by the New Zealand Herald as advertorial.

Forex brokers in New Zealand are regulated by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) and must be registered on the Financial Service Providers Register (FSPR) to operate in the country and accept NZ traders. To find the best options this year, we ranked FMA regulated brokers by comparing forex spreads, testing execution speeds, and assessing platforms, tools, and overall trading conditions.

Our shortlist of the top forex brokers in NZ are:

1. BlackBull Markets - Best Forex Broker in NZ
2. ThinkMarkets - Swap-Free Accounts
3. IG - Trusted Brokerage Worldwide
4. CMC Markets - Widest Range of CFDs
5. Plus500 - Broker for Beginners

Forex broker comparison

1. BlackBull Markets – best forex broker in NZ

BlackBull Markets was founded in New Zealand and remains the only broker on this list that’s a Kiwi company and established locally. Its offering is built around execution quality, raw pricing, and platform choice, rather than simplified beginner trading tools, making it a great fit for intermediate to experienced Kiwi traders. These are some of the factors that put BlackBull at the top of this shortlist, with a final score of 94/100.

• FMA License Number: FSP403326
• Overall Score: 94/100

Blackbull markets overview

When you sign up to Blackbull, you can choose between two pricing models with both commission-free and raw spreads available:

• Standard account: Spread-only pricing with no commission. Spreads on major pairs like EUR/USD typically sit around the 1.1 pip level.
• ECN Prime account: Raw spread pricing with spreads that can tighten to 0 pips on liquid forex pairs, plus a commission of US$3.00 per lot, per side. This is better suited to scalpers, intraday traders, and automated trading strategies.

Execution quality is the main reason BlackBull ranks above other brokers, not just in this shortlist, but globally. When we tested execution speeds across 20 MT4 brokers around the world, BlackBull recorded the fastest overall results. Average execution measured around 72 milliseconds (ms) for limit orders and 90ms for market orders, compared to the industry average of 130 to 140ms. Even among the top ECN brokers, most tested between 80 and 110ms.

That gap matters if you trade shorter timeframes, place frequent orders, or rely on automation where even small delays increase slippage and reduce the accuracy of your strategy.

Broker execution

The range of trading platforms you can choose from is clearly aimed at active traders too, and broader than any other broker on this shortlist. You can trade on MetaTrader 4 (MT4), MetaTrader 5 (MT5), cTrader, and TradingView, covering MT4 Expert Advisors, MT5 multi asset trading, cTrader automation, and TradingView-based discretionary analysis. VPS hosting and FIX API access are also available, which is relevant if you run latency-sensitive strategies or trade higher volumes.

The tiered leverage structure does mean if you are an active trader, the more you trade the more your maximum leverage is scaled down.

• If you trade up to 25 lots, your max leverage is 500:1
• Between 25 and 50 lots it scales back to 50:1
• Over 50 lots, it drops to 20:1

You also get negative balance protection, meaning your trading account can’t end up in a debit balance where you are indebted to BlackBull.

In terms of market access, alongside a full range of major, minor, and exotic currency pairs, you can trade CFDs across indices, commodities, metals, energies, and cryptocurrencies. BlackBull also offers direct share trading, not just share CFDs, which allows longer term equity exposure alongside active forex trading, something that’s uncommon among execution focused ECN brokers.

The main trade-off is that BlackBull isn’t exactly designed for beginner traders, and the platform choice, ECN pricing, and execution focused setup assumes you have a decent understanding of spreads, commissions, and order behaviour. If you want built-in education or simplified interfaces, other brokers like CMC Markets and Plus500 offer more novice educational resources and trading environments for beginners.

Overall, who is BlackBull Markets for?

BlackBull Markets is the best fit if forex trading is central to how you trade and execution quality genuinely matters. It suits active traders, scalpers, and those using automated strategies who want raw pricing, fast fills, and broad platform support. As the only Kiwi broker on this list, it combines local regulation with infrastructure that competes at a global level, which is why it earned its spot at the top of this shortlist.

2. ThinkMarkets – swap-free accounts

If you need a swap-free trading account, ThinkMarkets is one of the few brokers in New Zealand that offers this option without removing key trading features. Swap-free, aka Islamic accounts, are built for traders who follow Sharia finance principles, where paying or receiving interest isn’t allowed.

• FMA License Number: FSP623289
• Overall Score: 80/100

Thinkmarkets overview

ThinkMarkets offers two trading account types and swap-free pricing is available on both:

• Standard account: Spread-only pricing with no commission, spreads as low as 0.4 pips.
• ThinkZero account: Raw spreads that can start from 0 pips, with a commission fee of US$3.50 per lot, per side.

For swap-free accounts, while the underlying pricing of your Standard or ThinkZero account stays the same, overnight swaps are fully removed. Instead, ThinkMarkets applies a flat weekly admin fee once a position has been open for more than 7 days.

The fee depends on the currencies you are trading, expect US$5 per position on major forex pairs and US$10 on minor pairs. Outside of foreign exchange, you can trade CFDs across indices, commodities, metals, shares, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies, so market access is decent.

Your platform options are MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, or ThinkMarkets’ proprietary ThinkTrader platform. MT4 and MT5 are popular for their technical analysis tools, Expert Advisors, and large marketplaces, whereas ThinkTrader is more visual and works well if you prefer trading on mobile or want integrated charting without heavy customisation.

That said, ThinkMarkets isn’t the best option on our shortlist for ultra high-frequency trading (HFT). Order execution and platform response times are generally fine for discretionary trading, but if you depend on sub-second order placement, minimal latency, or rapid order modification, you’ll find specialist ECN brokers such as BlackBull Markets a much better fit.

So, who is ThinkMarkets for?

ThinkMarkets makes the most sense if you specifically need a swap-free trading setup but still want access to mainstream platforms like MT4, MT5, and a full CFD product range, making it a top pick for Islamic traders in New Zealand. It can also suit active traders using the ThinkZero account, where raw spreads and commission pricing are better aligned with frequent trading. However, if your strategy depends on ultra-fast execution or HFT, there are brokers higher up this list that are better suited.

3. IG – globally trusted brokerage

IG sits at the opposite end of the spectrum to execution-driven, ECN brokers like BlackBull Markets or TMGM. Instead of focusing on raw spreads or automation, IG is built around a huge range of financial markets, integrated trading tools, and a long-standing reputation in the online trading industry.

• FMA License Number: FSP486026
• Overall Score: 77/100

ig overview

You can choose from two pricing models:

• Standard pricing (IG platform): Spread-only pricing with no commission. On major pairs like EUR/USD, spreads typically average around 1.1-1.2 pips.
• Forex Direct (DMA via L2 Dealer): EUR/USD averages around 0.16 pips, with a commission of approximately US$6 per lot, per side.

There are various platforms offered, with IG’s proprietary web and mobile platform, MetaTrader 4, ProRealTime for advanced charting, or L2 Dealer for depth-of-market trading. IG’s own platform is built around discretionary trading, with integrated news, alerts, risk tools, and research, but it does not support automated trading or custom scripting in the same way MetaTrader does.

Market access is one of IG’s main strengths, as well as forex, you can trade CFDs across indices, commodities, cryptocurrencies, ETFs, and a very large range of global shares. At 200:1 for forex trading, the maximum leverage is relatively lower than the maximum allowed by the FMA, but still much higher than Australian traders can access under ASIC regulation.

IG also operates primarily as a market maker, with execution designed around consistency and liquidity rather than raw speed. Orders are filled reliably across a wide range of markets, but execution is not optimised for ultra-low latency trading, frequent order modification, or scalping strategies, where ECN brokers are much better suited.

Overall, who is IG for?

IG works best if you trade manually, value broad market coverage, and want integrated tools and risk controls in a single platform. If your strategy depends on raw spreads, ECN execution, or automated trading through MetaTrader, brokers like TMGM, Axi, or BlackBull Markets are generally a better fit.

4. CMC Markets – widest range of CFDs

CMC Markets is ideal if you want access to a large number of markets from a single account and relatively competitive pricing for a market maker. The broker offers two pricing models, a proprietary platform or MetaTrader, and one of the deepest CFD product ranges available to New Zealand traders.

• FMA License Number: FSP41187
• Overall Score: 68/100

The two account types are:

• Standard Account: Spread only pricing with no commission. Major pairs like EUR/USD typically average around 1.3 pips.
• FX Active Account: Commission-based pricing with raw spreads from 0 to 0.5 pips on EUR/USD, plus a USD $2.50 per lot, per side commission fee.

CMC Markets’ proprietary software is called Next Generation, and it’s what you need to use to gain access to the full product range. It also comes with advanced charting, integrated market research, client sentiment data, and guaranteed stop loss orders (GSLOs).

MetaTrader 4 is also available for traders who rely on Expert Advisors or MT4-based workflows, although it offers a more limited selection of instruments compared with the proprietary platform.

Where CMC Markets really earns its place on this list is market coverage and generous leverage of 500:1. Alongside a very large selection of forex pairs, you can trade CFDs across global indices, commodities, bonds, cryptocurrencies, ETFs, and thousands of international share CFDs, making it possible to manage currency, stock markets, and macro exposure from a single account.

Execution at CMC Markets is fully automated and operates using a market maker model, with pricing set internally on its standard account. For traders using the FX Active account, spreads are reduced and commissions apply, but execution is still managed within CMC’s own pricing framework rather than a true external ECN.

Overall, who is CMC Markets for?

CMC Markets works best if you want access to a very wide range of CFD markets, decent pricing options, and a platform designed around manual trading and risk management rather than automation. It’s a strong choice if your trading extends beyond forex into indices, shares, or broader macro markets, and you want everything available within a single trading environment.

5. Plus500 - Broker for Beginners

Plus500 takes a very different approach to most forex brokers on this list. Instead of supporting third-party platforms like MetaTrader, it runs everything through its own proprietary trading platform, which is designed to keep trading simple and tightly controlled.

• FMA License Number: FSP486026
• Overall Score: 67/100

There’s no choice of account types, all trading costs are spread only with no commissions on any trades, and educational materials cover the basics for beginners. On major forex pairs like EUR/USD, spreads typically sit around the 1.5 to 1.7 pip range, which is wider than raw spread brokers but easier to understand if you’re placing fewer trades or don’t want to calculate commission costs.

Leverage is significantly lower than what the FMA allows in New Zealand, capped at 30:1 for major forex pairs. This is beneficial to new traders though, as it reduces the temptation to run before you can walk.

Just like with pricing, there’s no options for trading platforms, and the Plus500 platform is very simple. The interface is consistent across devices and you get trading tools like GSLOs, price alerts, and an unlimited demo account built in. But what you don’t get is automated trading, advanced charting and custom indicators, Expert Advisors, or third-party integrations, which means Plus500 isn’t designed for algorithmic trading, scalping, or more experienced traders.

Despite the limitations with pricing and platforms, Plus500 offers a great range of instruments with shares, indices, commodities, ETFs, options, and cryptocurrencies on top of forex.

Overall, who is Plus500 for?

Plus500 works best if you’re newer to forex or CFD trading and want a straightforward platform with clear pricing, built-in risk management, and access to a wide range of markets without learning MetaTrader. If your trading relies on MT4 or MT5, automated strategies, or raw spread execution, opt for Blackbull or TMGM.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

What is the best forex broker in New Zealand?

BlackBull Markets is the best forex broker in New Zealand regulated by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) because of its industry leading execution technology and local Auckland headquarters. When we tested execution speeds BlackBull Markets had the fastest limit order speed (72ms) and the second fastest market order speed (90ms) of all brokers tested globally, not just FMA regulated brokers in NZ.

These results massively outperform the 130-140ms industry average, and by maintaining their local offices and infrastructure in Auckland, NZ traders get a distinct millisecond advantage that minimises slippage during high volatility events.

Can you trade forex in NZ?

Yes, forex trading is legal in New Zealand and online brokers that operate locally must be registered on the Financial Service Providers Register (FSPR) and subject to Financial Markets Authority (FMA) regulation. New Zealand currently allows high leverage for retail forex traders with a maximum of 500:1, which is much more than in Australia, the UK, and Europe, where the max is 30:1. In saying that, the FMA has recently started consulting on introducing lower leverage limits for 2026, which will bring NZ more in line with the major financial hubs like Australia and the UK, so we could see changes soon.

Which forex broker is best for beginners?

Plus500 is the most beginner friendly broker because its proprietary platform removes the steep technical learning curve that you have with popular trading platforms like MetaTrader 4 or 5. Instead you get a clear, spread only pricing with no commission fees, allowing you to understand your total costs easily, as well as built in guaranteed stop-loss orders and negative balance protection. If you are looking for something with more advanced trading tools and features to grow into over time, IG and CMC Markets are also suited to beginners with commission-free accounts, more sophisticated trading platforms, and stronger research tools.

How we ranked forex brokers in NZ

To legally offer forex and CFD trading to New Zealand residents, brokers must be registered on the Financial Service Providers Register and meet the local financial regulators requirements. As a result, every broker on this list is able to operate in New Zealand, and regulation is treated as a baseline rather than a differentiator.

We tested and reviewed 60 global forex and CFD brokers, but only brokers that actively accept New Zealand clients were considered. The shortlist is NZ-specific, and reflects the trading conditions, pricing, leverage, and platforms actually available to Kiwi traders, not global averages or marketing claims.

New Zealand forex regulation, leverage and trader protections

Forex and CFD trading is legal in New Zealand and regulated by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) which was established in 2011 under the Financial Markets Conduct Act (FMCA). Any broker offering forex or CFD trading to New Zealand residents must be authorised by the FMA and listed on the Financial Service Providers Register (FSPR) You can verify a broker’s licence directly through the FMA register.

New Zealand has a small number of FMA-authorised forex brokers, with fewer than ten currently approved. As a result, the NZ market operates differently from larger regions such as Australia, the UK, or the EU, particularly when it comes to leverage and trader protections.

Retail leverage in New Zealand

For NZ retail traders, the maximum leverage currently permitted by the FMA for forex trading is up to 500:1, meaning you can control a NZ$500,000 position with just NZ$1000 of margin. This max leverage cap is significantly higher than what is allowed under most Tier-1 regulators in major financial hubs like Australia, the UK, and Europe, where leverage is capped at 30:1 for forex CFDs to protect traders from large losses and margin calls.

Maximum Retail Forex Leverage by Region and Financial Regulator

The FMA is considered a Tier-2 regulator, and is currently looking at leverage limits that would move New Zealand closer to Tier-1 regulatory frameworks, such as the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). While final rules and timing can change, the regulatory direction is toward lower retail leverage and closer alignment with international standards.