Interactive Brokers Review
Written By
ForexRater Research Team
Data-driven broker comparison · Independently tested · No paid rankings
Reviewed against our published methodology →Reviews represent the editorial opinion of ForexRater and are not personal financial advice.
Audit Scorecard
Our Verdict
Interactive Brokers is assessed here on its regulatory licences, published trading costs, platform range and account terms. Its licences from SEC, FINRA, FCA are the primary safeguard for client funds — check each licence number on the regulator's own register before depositing.
Interactive Brokers advertises execution of 10ms and offers Trader Workstation. That execution figure is the broker's own published claim, not a speed we have measured — real fills vary with account type, session liquidity and news conditions.
Pros & Cons
The Good
- Deepest Asset Range
- Lowest Margin Costs
- Pro Analysis Tools
The Bad
- TWS Platform Learning Curve
- Support can be Institutional
Regulatory record
Primary registersPublic enforcement records & market-access notices
- CFTC (US) · settled order · resolvedindustry sweep29 Sept 2023 — Interactive Brokers Corp. and Interactive Brokers LLC · 20,000,000 USD
Recordkeeping and supervision failures: widespread use of unapproved communication methods (personal text/WhatsApp) including by senior staff.
Verified by primary · checked 28 Jul 2026 · Source
- SEC (US) · settled order · resolvedindustry sweep29 Sept 2023 — Interactive Brokers LLC · 35,000,000 USD
Parallel SEC settlement (PR 2023-212) over the same off-channel communications recordkeeping failures.
Verified by secondary · checked 28 Jul 2026 · Source: primary backfill pending
- OFAC (US Treasury) · settlement · resolvedself-disclosed15 Jul 2025 — Interactive Brokers LLC · 11,832,136 USD
12,367 apparent sanctions violations (Iran, Cuba, Syria, Crimea, Russia, CMIC securities) 2016–2024; non-egregious, voluntarily self-disclosed.
Verified by primary · checked 28 Jul 2026 · Source
- FINRA (US) · awc · resolved1 Dec 2024 (approx.) — Interactive Brokers LLC · 2,250,000 USD
Censure and fine for failing to detect/prevent 4,229,709 instances of customer free-riding, Oct 2015–Dec 2022.
Verified by secondary · checked 28 Jul 2026 · Source
- FINRA (US) · awc · resolved1 Aug 2025 (approx.) — Interactive Brokers LLC · 650,000 USD
Inadequate due diligence approving self-directed customers for options trading, Nov 2019–Dec 2024.
Verified by secondary · checked 17 Aug 2026 · Source
- FINRA (US) · awc · resolved1 Jun 2023 (approx.) — Interactive Brokers LLC · 475,000 USD
Securities-lending segregation-deficit calculation errors on EU-listed stocks, Jun–Dec 2021.
Verified by secondary · checked 28 Jul 2026 · Source
- Nasdaq (exchange) · exchange disciplinary fine · reporteddisclosed, not scored1 Dec 2025 (approx.) — Interactive Brokers LLC · 900,000 USD
Reported exchange disciplinary fine for alleged Nasdaq rule violations.
Verified by secondary · checked 28 Jul 2026 · Source: primary backfill pending
- FINRA (US) · fine · resolved29 Sept 2025 — Interactive Brokers LLC · 125,000 USD
MSRB Rules G-27/G-47 municipal-securities supervisory/disclosure violations; censure.
Verified by secondary · checked 17 Aug 2026 · Source
- FINRA (US) · fine · resolved15 Nov 2025 (approx.) — Interactive Brokers LLC · 150,000 USD
Vendor Display Rule: incomplete consolidated market-data display (Dec 2017–Mar 2022).
Verified by secondary · checked 17 Aug 2026 · Source
Authorisation/market-access warnings for specific jurisdictions — not enforcement actions or sanctions against the broker.
- ph ntc blocking (2025-12-01) — Philippine NTC (on SEC request) ordered ISPs to block IBKR access in the PH internet ecosystem (part of a ~50-platform block). Market-access restriction, not an enforcement action.Verified by secondary · checked 17 Aug 2026
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Quick Stats
Also Consider
Risk Warning
Trading foreign exchange on margin carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. The high degree of leverage can work against you as well as for you. Before deciding to trade foreign exchange, you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite.
Trading foreign exchange on margin carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. The high degree of leverage can work against you as well as for you.