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Lightyear vs IG : Fees, Safety & Trading Conditions Compared (2026)
Broker Name
Lightyear
IG
Broker Overview
Broker Type (e.g., Market Maker, ECN/STP)
STP
ECN
Years of Existence / Established Year
2020
1974
Customer Base / Number of Accounts
Info not available
313,000 customers
Regulation & Security
Regulations (governing bodies)
FCA EFSA
NFA CFTC FCA
Awards Won (count for the last 2 years)
No major awards listed
Best Multi platform provider - ADVFN International Financial Awards 2024 Best Finance App - ADVFN International Financial Awards 2024 Best platform for active trader - ADVFN International Financial Awards 2022
Security Measures
SIPC, EIPSF Upto Euro 20,000
FSCS
SSL Encryption / 2FA
Yes
Yes
Segregated Funds
Yes
Yes
Negative Balance Protection
No
Yes
Trading Instruments/Products Offered
Assets Types / Trading Instruments (total count and breakdown)
US / EU / UK Stocks (3500+) Interest Money Market Funds Baltic Stocks Baltic Bonds
17,000 + markets
Currency Pairs
No
Yes
Commodities
No
Yes
Indices
No
Yes
Cryptocurrencies
No
Yes
CFDs
No
Yes
ETFs
Yes
Yes
Stocks
Yes
Yes
Options
No
Yes
Futures
No
Yes
Bonds
Yes
Yes
Mutual Funds
No
Yes
Fractional Shares
Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs)
No
Yes
Precious Metals
Yes - through Exchange Traded Commodities
Yes
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
Yes - through REIT stocks
Yes
Equities
Yes
Yes
Trading Platforms & Technology
Trading Platform Availability
Yes
Yes
MT4
No
Yes
MT5
No
No
cTrader
No
No
Social Trading
Yes
Copy Trading
No
Yes
Other Trading Platforms (proprietary, etc.)
Lightyear's proprietary platform
ProReal Time APIs L2 dealer
Platform Compatibility (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)
Yes
Yes
Account Types & Conditions
Account Types (Retail, Pro, VIP, etc.)
Personal Business
Leveraged Accounts Spread betting account CFD accountNon-Leveraged Account Share dealing account ISA account IG smart portfolio account IG smart ISA portfolio account
Demo Account (Yes/No)
No
Yes
Islamic Accounts (Yes/No)
No
No
Minimum Deposit
$0
$50
Leverage Available
No
200:1
Trade Limit (maximum per trade)
Varies for each product
Trade size vary on each asset
Commission (per account type)
Euro 0
Starting from 0.1
Best Suited For (e.g., beginners, experienced traders)
Beginners
Beginners
Deposit & Withdrawal Options
Deposit Methods
EUR - SEPA, Debit Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay GBP - FPS, CHAPS, BACS, SWIFT, Apple Pay, Google Pay USD - ACH, FedWire, SWIFT HUF - Bank transfers within Hungary
Bank transfers Card FPS in Hong Kong dollars Funding on IG mobile app Wise
Withdrawal Methods
Bank Transfers
Card Bank transfer
Other E-Wallets Supported
No
No
Tools & Educational Resources
Economic Calendar
No
Yes
Tools & Educational Resources (tutorials, webinars, market news, etc.)
Savings interest calculator Inflation calculator Ticker time machine Rate comparison calculator
Trade analytics tools Seminars & webinars
Fees & Commissions
Trading-Related Fees
US Shares per order - 0.1% upto $1 maximum EU Shares per order - Euro 1 UK Shares per order - Euro 1 Money Market Funds - 0.25% annually Nasdaq Baltic - Euro 1 ETFs -Euro 0 Multi-currency account -Euro 0
US shares 0 to 50 - commission free 50+ trades - $5Other shares Germany - 0.1% UK - 0.1% Ireland - 0.1%
Spread (typical, fixed, variable)
NA
Variable
Per Lot Fees
NA
NA
Options Contract Fees
NA
NA
Futures Contract Fees
NA
NA
Markup Fees on Spread
NA
NA
Guaranteed Stop Loss Fees
NA
Vary for each asset
Maximum Leverage
Info not available
200:1
Non-Trading Fees
Dormant Fees
$0
$12/month after 24 months of no trading activity
Subscription Fees (for premium features, data feeds)
NA
NA
Advisory Fees
NA
NA
Swap Fees (Overnight Financing)
NA
Yes
Statement or Document Fee
NA
$50
Account Opening Fee
$0
$0
Account Maintenance Fee
$0
$0
Deposit Fee
In EUR & GBP Debit Card / ApplePay / Google Pay - First Euro500 lifetime free, 0.5% after In USD FedWire & Swift - $6.11
Free for Wire & check deposits
Currency Conversion Fee
0.35%
0.5% - CFDs and share dealing accounts 0.7% - international shares
Withdrawal Fee
$0
Wire transfer - $25
Bonuses, Promotions & Benefits
Bonuses, Promotions, and Referrals
Yes
Yes
Customer Benefits (e.g., Retirement Plan)
Yes
Yes
Trading Hours
Trading Hours (for each asset class if applicable)
Vary for each asset class
Forex Monday 00:00 - Friday 22:00 GMT (International times may vary)UK shares (LSE): 08.00-16.30 (London time) US shares: 09.30-16.00 (New York time) European shares: vary on relevant exchanges
Customer Support
Support Hours (e.g., 24/7, weekdays only)
24/7
24x5 support
Customer Support Methods (phone, email, live chat)
Email: mailto:[email protected], Live chat Phone number:+1 332-333-4220.
Call +44 (20) 7633 5430 Email: [email protected] 10AM to 7PM whatsapp channel support (Monday to Friday)
Support Languages
20+
8
Additional Information
Headquarters Location
Volta 1 Tallinn 10412 Estonia
IG Cannon Bridge House 25 Dowgate Hill London EC4R 2YA
Complaints (for crypto brokers)
No
No
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