Beware! TD Markets is an offshore broker! Your investment may be at risk.
RECOMMENDED FOREX BROKERS
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Open trading accounts with at least two brokers.
TD Markets tries to pass itself off as a regulated and well-established forex broker that you can trust with your money with peace of mind. But fact-checking shows that this would be a mistake. In this review, we’ll show you why it’s in your best interest to stay away from TD Markets and what more credible alternatives you have for investing in the financial markets.
TD Markets Regulation and safety of funds
Guaranteed Funds | Segregated Accounts | Negative balance protection | |
TD Markets | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
UK regulated brokers | £85 000 | Yes | Yes |
EU regulated brokers | €20 000 | Yes | Yes |
AU regulated brokers | No | Yes | Yes |
US regulted brokers | Yes | Yes | No |
Legitimate forex brokers provide clear and detailed information about the legal entity that owns and operates them, where it is based, what licences it has and which regulators oversee its activities. Lack of such details or improper presentation of them are always a red flag that we are probably dealing with a scam.
TD Markets is completely anonymous at the time of writing this review. No company name, regulatory licence details or office address is listed anywhere. The only method of contact is via email.
The text of the Terms and Conditions specifies Cyprus as the applicable jurisdiction. However, among the brokers licensed by Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), there are none that use the TD Markets trade name and domain.
Another leading European regulator, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has issued a warning against TD Markets. We understand from the FCA’s announcement that at some point in the past, TD Markets has represented itself as being operated by a UK firm called TD Markets UK Limited.
Under no circumstances should you trust your money to such anonymous websites full of false and contradictory information. Instead, you can turn to one of the many companies that really work under the supervision of respected regulatory bodies like CySEC or FCA. As their customer you will enjoy a number of guarantees including negative balance protection and guarantee for your funds if the broker goes bankrupt, which goes up to EUR 20,000 in EU and 85,000 GBP in the UK. Regulations in the UK and EU include some important measures designed to improve investor protection and promote market integrity and transparency, such as transaction reporting. Regulated brokers are also required to segregate their operational funds from the client’s money.
TD Markets Trading software
Analytical tools | Auto trading | Custom indicators | Mobile apps | |
TD Markets platform | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
MT4 | 30+ indicators | ✅ | ✅ | Android and iOS |
MT5 | 50+ indicators | ✅ | ✅ | Android and iOS |
cTrader | 40+ indicators | ✅ | ✅ | Android and iOS |
TD Markets has a web-based trading platform, but the credentials provided to log into a trading server were not working. It should be noted that the presence of a trading platform does not make this website any more legitimate and does not guarantee that this alleged broker offers real trading. Many scammers use rigged trading software to fool their victims that their money is being invested.
If you use the services of a licensed broker, you will get the opportunity to use established software with advanced features and versions for all types of devices and operating systems. The most widely used trading platforms in the industry are MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5). These platforms have established themselves as industry standard because they offer a wide range of features, including a variety of options for customization, multiple account usage, designing and implementing custom scripts for automated trading and backtesting trade strategies.
TD Markets Trading instruments
Currency | Stocks | Indices | Crypto | Commodities | |
TD Markets | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
XM | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
FP Markets | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Octa | x | x | x | x | x |
TD Markets advertises trading in forex, stocks, indices, commodities and cryptocurrencies. But as stated, there are no guarantees that this unregulated website offers real trading. It would undoubtedly be wiser to invest through some appropriately licensed and reputable forex broker.
TD Markets Spreads and cost of trading
TD Markets | XM | FP Markets | Octa | |
Spread EURUSD | 1 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
Spread GBPUSD | 1 | 1.3 | 1.5 | x |
Spread USDJPY | 1 | 1.3 | 1.5 | x |
TD Markets promises a competitive trading price and a spread of about 1 pip. But we will reiterate that the trading offered by this fish website is fictitious.
TD Markets Maximum leverage
Forex | Stocks | Crypto | Gold | Indices | |
TD Markets | 500:1 | 100:1 | 10:1 | 100:1 | 100:1 |
UK regulated brokers | 30:1 | 5:1 | ❌ | 10:1 | 10:1 |
EU regulated brokers | 30:1 | 5:1 | 2:1 | 10:1 | 10:1 |
AU regulated brokers | 30:1 | 5:1 | 2:1 | 10:1 | 10:1 |
US regulated brokers | 50:1 | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
The descriptions of the account types offered by TD Markets stipulate leverage up to 1:500, and the homepage of the website advertises an even higher level of 1:1000. Regulated brokers do not offer such levels to retail traders as trading with high leverage carries risks of sudden and excessive losses.
Higher levels of leverage are only offered to professional clients who trade entirely at their own risk. If you don’t qualify as a professional trader but are willing to take the risk of high-leverage trading, the most viable option is to use the services of an offshore affiliate of an established brand.
TD Markets Deposit and withdrawal methods
Deposit time | Withdrawal time | Price | |
Pay Wize | 1 hour | 24 hours | Not specified |
The only payment method used by TD Markets is the obscure payment processor Pay Wize.
Legitimate brokers typically offer clients a wide choice of transparent payment methods, including bank transfer, credit/debit cards and established e-wallets such as PayPal, Skrill or Neteller.
TD Markets Minimum deposit
TD Markets | XM | FP Markets | Octa | |
Minimum deposit | $100 | $5 | $100 | $100 |
The minimum deposit required by TD Markets is 100 USD, which is the industry standard. But this means that for the same amount you could open a trading account with an established and duly licensed forex broker. Some of the leading brands in the industry offer Micro and Cent accounts with a very low entry threshold that are suitable for novice investors.
TD Markets Withdrawal requirements
Trading volume | Fee/Tax on withdrawal | Minimum withdrawal | |
TD Markets | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified |
UK regulated brokers | No | No | No |
EU regulated brokers | No | No | No |
AU regulated brokers | No | No | No |
US regulated brokers | No | No | No |
TD Markets does not specify extraordinary conditions for withdrawal. But these types of scams always surprise you with hidden fees and other tricks that prevent you from withdrawing your money back.