10 Best Forex Brokers in South Africa with High Leverage

High leverage is one of the main attractions of the foreign exchange market, allowing traders to trade larger positions with smaller amounts of capital. Higher maximum leverage ratios will allow South African traders to open larger positions in forex markets, increasing their chances of earning larger potential profit.

This is done when the broker offers a loan to the trader, requiring that the South African trader pay a margin requirement as collateral for the trade. While this tool is a trading advantage, leverage comes with increased risks.

Using a high maximum leverage ratio can result in larger losses and it can often clear out the trading account. Apart from using risk management protocols, traders are urged to use educational materials to ensure that they know how to trade using leverage and margin.

Another protective measure when trading with leverage is to ensure that the retail trading account has negative balance protection applied, protecting the investor from a negative account balance. South African brokers offer generous amounts of leverage and South African traders are not restricted from using high leverage ratios.

Therefore, we have compiled a comprehensive list that features some of the best high leverage forex brokers in South Africa.

Khwezi Trade

Khwezi Trade is an FSCA-regulated forex broker and an authorized OTC provider headquartered in South Africa.

Khwezi Trade offers leverage of 1:100 standard and up to 1:400 on request to retail and professional traders.

This allows traders to open positions 100 up to 400 times larger than their initial minimum deposit.

Khwezi Trade is a reputable broker with a strict execution policy in ensuring that client orders are processed quickly with minimal slippage.

Khwezi Trade is an award-winning broker.

Khwezi Trade is committed to providing South African traders competitive trading conditions, tight average spreads and powerful trading technology.

Khwezi Trade Pros and Cons

✔ Pros	❌ Cons
Trusted forex broker with regulation through the Financial Sector Conduct Authority	No crypto deposits accepted
Khwezi Trade is an industry-leading broker and is one of the first non-bank entity to receive OTC licensing	There are limited account base currency options
Khwezi Trade is an authorised FSP and ODP in South Africa	US clients are not accepted
Traders are provided access to powerful trading technology
Competitive spreads are offered
There is a decent maximum leverage ratio offered

Khwezi Trade features

👉 Feature	ℹ️ Information
👮‍♂️ Regulation	👍 FSCA
💵 Minimum deposit from	💰 ZAR500
⚖️ Average spread from	👉 0,6 pips
📈 Commissions from	N/A
💸 Deposit/Withdrawal Fees	N/A
⚖️ Maximum Leverage	⚖️. 1:400
🤑 Bonuses	👍 30%
❓ Customer Support	🏪. 24/5

FBS

FBS is one of the best international online brokers that welcomes forex traders from South Africa.

FBS is well known for its comprehensive trading solutions and competitive trading conditions featuring tight and competitive spreads, commission-free trading options, and access to a wide range of financial instruments.

FBS offers South African clients an impressive maximum leverage ratio of 1:3000, which means that South African clients can open positions 3000 the size of their initial investment. However, traders are urged to ensure that they apply the required risk management measures to protect their trading account against loss.

With FBS, beginner and professional traders are given access to forex pairs that include major pairs, minor pairs, exotic pairs, stock trading, cryptocurrency markets, and several other liquid markets that can be traded.

In addition to supporting powerful trading platforms, FBS also offers its proprietary mobile trading app.

FBS Pros and Cons

✔️ Pros	❌ Cons
Ultra-fast trade execution	Deposit and withdrawal fees
Low spreads and commissions

FBS features

👉 Feature	ℹ️ Information
👮‍♂️ Regulation	👍 CySEC
💵 Minimum deposit from	💰 $100
⚖️ Average spread from	👉 0.0
📈 Commissions from	📈 ‎$6
💸 Deposit/Withdrawal Fees	🤷 Variable depending on method
⚖️. Maximum Leverage	⚖️. 1:3000
🤑. Bonuses	💰. 100% Deposit Bonus
❓ Customer Support	🏪. 24/5

Vantage FX

Vantage FX is a large and reputable international broker that welcomes South African clients.

With Vantage FX, beginner and professional traders.

Traders can expect high leverage ratios up to 1:500 that can be used across a wide range of assets.

Vantage FX offers over 40 foreign exchange currency pairs spread across major currencies, minor currencies, and different exotic currencies.

Vantage FX also offers commission-free retail trading accounts that feature competitive spreads.

Vantage FX Pros and Cons

✔ Pros	❌ Cons
Well-regulated broker with authorization through several regulatory entities	There is a high minimum initial deposit required to start trading
Automated trading is supported
Offers a wide range of assets
Offers dedicated customer services
Offers a spread-free ECN retail trading account
Offers leverage up to 1:500

Vantage FX features

👉 Feature	ℹ️ Information
👮‍♂️ Regulation	👉 ASIC, FCA, CIMA, SIBL
💵. Minimum deposit from	💰 $200 / 3200 ZAR
⚖️ Average spread from	👉 1.22 pips
📈 Commissions from	📈 $2 / 32 ZAR per round turn
💸 Deposit/Withdrawal Fees	🙅. None
⚖️ Maximum Leverage	⚖️ 1:500
🤑 Bonuses	💰 Yes
❓ Customer Support	🏪 24/5

AvaTrade

AvaTrade is one of the largest brokers that welcomes forex traders from South Africa.

Avatrade offers a safe and protected trading environment.

AvaTrade offers comprehensive trading solutions to retail traders as well as professional South African clients who use different trading strategies.

AvaTrade offers a wide range of complex instruments spread across several asset classes, including more than 55 currency pairs, commodities, energies, precious metals, vanilla options, cryptocurrencies, and more.

AvaTrade offers the use of powerful third-party trading platforms.

Avatrade is a powerful proprietary trading platform on desktop and mobile trading.

Avatrade Pros and Cons

✔ PROS	❌ CONS
Broad range of tradable instruments	High EURUSD and inactivity fees
MetaTrader 4 and 5 available
Excellent educational resources

Avatrade features

👉 Feature	ℹ️ Information
👮‍♂️ Regulation	👉 Central Bank of Ireland, MiFID, ASiC, BVI
💵. Minimum deposit from	💰 $100
⚖️ Average spread from	👉 0.9 pips
📈 Commissions from	📈 No commission on Forex
💸 Deposit/Withdrawal Fees	🙅. None
⚖️ Maximum Leverage	⚖️ 1:400
🤑 Bonuses	💰 First Deposit Bonus
❓ Customer Support	🏪 24/5 – multilingual

Blackstone Futures

Blackstone Futures is a popular South African forex broker for beginners with regulation through the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) to offer comprehensive trading solutions.

Blackstone Futures is known for its competitive leverage trading conditions that consist of tight average spreads, commission-free trading options.

South African clients do not pay deposit fees or withdrawal fees.

In addition, South African clients can expect access to high leverage ratios up to a maximum of 1:400 that can be applied to forex trading as well as CFD trading across derivative trading instruments.

Blackstone Futures Pros and Cons

✔️ Pros	❌ Cons
Offers a range of trading instruments that can be traded using competitive trading conditions	The spreads that are offered are not the lowest
Provides powerful trading platforms that are available across the web, desktop applications, and mobile platforms	Limited funding options are offered
There is a choice in advanced trading tools and comprehensive trading solutions	There is no cryptocurrency trading
Blackstone Futures is a good broker in terms of educational materials and resources for beginner forex traders	There is a limited selection of tradable markets offered
There is dedicated customer support provided across several channels

Blackstone Futures features

👉 Feature	ℹ️. Information
👮‍♂️ Regulation	👍 FSCA
💵 Minimum deposit from	💰 ZAR R1000
⚖️ Average spread from	👉 2.0 pips
📈 Commissions from	📈 N/A
💸 Deposit/Withdrawal Fees	🤷 N/A
⚖️. Maximum Leverage	⚖️. 1:400
🤑. Bonuses	💰 25%-50% percent of base salary
❓ Customer Support	🏪. between 9:00 – 17:00 (GMT +1)

FOREX.com

FOREX.com is another popular option for retail forex traders in South Africa.

Forex.com offers traders seeking competitive trading conditions and a plethora of trading opportunities.

FOREX.com is a globally recognized trading provider that caters to beginner traders by offering educational tools.

More experienced traders can expect access to advanced charting and technical analysis.

Fundamental analysis, an economic calendar, and transparent market conditions are amongst several other benefits.

Forex.com Pros and Cons

✔ Pros	❌ Cons
One of the best international brokers with multi-regulations	Inactivity fees are charged
Offers a choice in complex instruments along with various trade sizes and instant execution
Commission-free retail accounts are offered along with instant deposits and withdrawals
Powerful trading tools are offered to experienced traders
TradingView provided in addition to other advanced trading tools
An execution scorecard is provided, ensuring a guaranteed execution policy

Forex.com features

👉 Feature	ℹ️ Information
👮‍♂️ Regulation	👉 CFTC, FCA, ASIC, FSA, IIROC, CIMA, SFC, MAS
💵. Minimum deposit from	💰 $100 / 1 600 ZAR
⚖️ Average spread from	👉 1.5 pips
📈 Commissions from	📈 $5 / 80 ZAR commission per 100K traded
💸 Deposit/Withdrawal Fees	🙅. Not indicated
⚖️ Maximum Leverage	⚖️ 1:50
🤑 Bonuses	💰 Yes
❓ Customer Support	🏪 24/5

Skilling

Skilling is another high leverage broker that welcomes South African traders.

Skilling offers more than 70 forex currency pairs that can be traded, spread across major currencies, minors, and exotics that can be traded with leverage up to a maximum of 1:500, with reasonable margin requirements.

In addition to this, Skilling is also known for its competitively low trading costs and trading fees, with tight average spreads that start from 0.7 pips EUR/USD.

Apart from expecting transparent fee schedules, South African traders can also benefit from the fact that deposit fees, withdrawal fees, and inactivity fees are not charged.

Skilling Pros and Cons

✔ Pros	❌ Cons
There are no added broker fees charged	The leverage model is dynamic and subject to change
Features some of the lowest spreads in the industry
Well-regulated and trusted broker with a proven history and good reputation
High maximum leverage provided
Offers traders a trade assistant to help their trading decisions
Traders can use algorithmic trading strategies

Skilling features

👉 Feature	ℹ️ Information
👮‍♂️ Regulation	👉 CySEC
💵. Minimum deposit from	💰 $100 / 1600 ZAR
⚖️ Average spread from	👉 0.01 pips
📈 Commissions	📈 FX pairs and Spot Metals
💸 Deposit/Withdrawal Fees	🙅. 12.50 EUR / 208 ZAR
⚖️ Maximum Leverage	⚖️ 1:30
🤑 Bonuses	💰 No
❓ Customer Support	🏪 24/5

FinmaxFX

FinmaxFX is a popular South African broker that provides retail traders access to over 60 currency pairs that can be traded.

FinmaxFX provides traders with a choice between different retail investor accounts, each providing unique and flexible trading conditions to different types of traders.

FinmaxFX charges higher minimum deposits than other high leverage forex brokers, even on entry-level accounts.

Accounts are designed to provide traders unlimited access to some of the best trading conditions possible.

FinmaxFX Pros and Cons

✔ Pros	❌ Cons
High maximum leverage is offered	The social trading network is underdeveloped
Well-regulated by reputable regulatory bodies	There is a high minimum deposit requirement
Offers automated trading through ZuluTrade
There are several trading bonuses offered
Traders can use different forex trading signals
Offers more than 60 tradable forex pairs

FinmaxFX features

👉 Feature	ℹ️ Information
👮‍♂️ Regulation	👉 IFMRRC, VFSC
💵. Minimum deposit from	💰 $250 / 4000 ZAR
⚖️ Average spread from	👉 3.0 pips
📈 Commissions from	📈 None
💸 Deposit/Withdrawal Fees	🙅. start from 0.9%
⚖️ Maximum Leverage	⚖️ 1:200
🤑 Bonuses	💰 Yes
❓ Customer Support	🏪 24/5

Plus500

Plus500 is one of the best CFD trading brokers in the world that caters to the trading needs and objectives of South African traders.

Plus500 provides access to over 2,000 tradable derivative instruments that are spread across several asset classes, including more than 70 forex currencies, including major pairs, minor pairs, and exotic pairs.

In addition to this, Plus500 offers South African forex traders access to an innovative and powerful proprietary trading platform that can be used.

Plus500 Pros and Cons

✔️ Pros	❌ Cons
Commission-free trading is offered across the range of assets that can be traded	Fixed spreads are not offered
The broker provides market news and in-depth insight into market conditions	There is an inactivity fee charged on dormant accounts
Offers more than 2,000 tradable instruments that can be traded using any type of trading strategy
Provides a range of funding options including bank transfer, credit cards, debit cards, and others
Offers flexible trading conditions and a powerful proprietary trading platform and mobile trading app

Plus500 features

👉 Feature	ℹ️ Information
👮‍♂️ Regulation	👍 FCA, ASIC
💵 Minimum deposit from	💰 ZAR/ R1600
⚖️ Average spread from	👉 0,8 pips
📈 Commissions from	N/A
💸 Deposit/Withdrawal Fees	N/A
⚖️ Maximum Leverage	⚖️. 1:300
🤑 Bonuses	👍 25EUR / ZAR R420
❓ Customer Support	🏪. 24/7

Exness

Exness is a popular name in the South African trading industry, providing some of the best and most competitive leverage trading conditions.

South African traders can use leverage up to 1:2000.

Exness offers retail investor accounts with ultra-low minimum deposit requirements, a choice in trading platforms, and multi-currency trading account types.

There is also negative balance protection applied to trading accounts, and traders can test their trading strategies using demo accounts.

Exness Pros and Cons

✔️ Pros	❌ Cons
Comprehensive trading solutions are offered along with competitive trading conditions	The rollover fees which are charged are not transparent
Offers flexible maximum leverage levels which are suited to any high volume trader who needs flexibility on trade sizes	The variable average spreads are wider than that of other forex brokers
Supports powerful trading platforms with robust charting capabilities, technical indicators, an economic calendar, and more	There is a limited range of trading instruments offered
Provides access to VPS to eligible professional traders
Exness is one of the largest forex brokers in terms of trading volumes, trading solutions, and customer base

Exness features

👉 Feature	ℹ️. Information
👮‍♂️ Regulation	👍 CySEC
💵 Minimum deposit from	💰 $10 / ZAR R160
⚖️ Average spread from	👉 0.0
📈 Commissions from	📈 ‎$0.1 / ZAR R1.60 to $3.50 / ZAR R56.00
💸 Deposit/Withdrawal Fees	🤷 Variable depending on method
⚖️. Maximum Leverage	⚖️. 1:2000
🤑. Bonuses	💰. 10% of Deposit Bonus
❓ Customer Support	🏪. 24/7

Frequently Asked Questions

Depositing with a forex broker is simple. Once you have registered a live account and it has been verified, you can choose between local bank transfers, credit/debit cards, online payment solutions, crypto transfers, or online payment solutions.

Yes, if the market moves against your position, you could lose your entire investment and your account could go into a negative.

You can visit the official website of the market regulator and search for the broker’s license number online.

Yes, forex trading is a legal activity in South Africa.

You must consider the margin requirements, commissions and fees, support for trading platforms, and several other factors.

10 Best Forex Brokers in South Africa with High Leverage

Therefore, we have compiled a comprehensive list that features some of the best high leverage forex brokers in South Africa.