Contrary to what you might have heard, there are plenty of Forex / CFD brokers which accept Netherlands residents as clients, I’ve looked at the best Forex brokers in the Netherlands in detail and compiled the shortlist below. Read on to find the best Forex broker for you, and to learn some important facts about trading in the Netherlands.
- AvaTrade, Highly regulated, choice of fixed or floating spreads.
- BlackBull Markets, Best ECN trading environment, with scalping and hedging.
- Eightcap, Competitive pricing + excellent daily videos.
- ActivTrades, .
- FP Markets, ECN trading with leverage up to 1:500.
The Most Trusted Trading Platforms in the Netherlands
AvaTrade
In Summary Highly regulated, choice of fixed or floating spreadsAvaTrade ranks among the best online brokers in the Netherlands provides due to a quality choice of trading platforms. They include upgraded MT4/MT5 platforms for algorithmic traders, the proprietary web based AvaTrade WebTrader, AvaOptions, and mobile app AvaTradeGO. Social traders can use integrated MT4/MT5 services, Ava Social, ZuluTrade, or DupliTrade.
Traders also benefit from a balanced asset selection, where equity CFD traders get the most assets, including ETFs, while vanilla options support complex trading strategies for advanced traders. AvaTrade is also home to a highly lucrative partnership program with 70,000+ partners from 150+ counties and 250M+ commission payouts, ideal for passive income generation. Beginner traders get quality educational content and market commentary, plus the high-quality, spun-out trading academy SharpTrader.
Pros & Cons
- High quality educational offering via AvaAcademy
- Excellent choice of trading platforms catering to various trading needs
- Broad asset selection and cross-asset diversification opportunities
- Well-regulated and trusted broker with oversight from a central bank
- Trading costs competitive but nothing special
BlackBull Markets
In Summary Best ECN trading environment, with scalping and hedgingBlackBull Markets ranks among the best Netherlands Forex brokers due to its competitive, commission-based ECN accounts featuring trading fees as low as $4.00 per lot. VPS hosting delivers 24/5 low-latency Forex trading, and BlackBull Markets also supports API trading. Institutional-grade trading conditions exist via Equinix servers located in New York (NY4), London (LD5), and Tokyo (TY3), and 66+ third-party providers offering deep liquidity with an average order execution speed of less than 75 milliseconds.
Beginners receive a high-quality education, and traders can manage their portfolios through MT4/MT5, cTrader, BlackBull Invest, BlackBull Markets CopyTrade, ZuluTrade, Myfxbook Autotrade, and TradingView.
Pros & Cons
- ECN/NDD execution model with deep liquidity
- Institution-grade pricing for retail traders via proprietary price aggregation
- ZuluTrade and Myfxbook for social trading
- Leverage of up to 1:500
- Limited deposit options
Eightcap
In Summary Competitive pricing + excellent daily videosEightcap belongs to the best Netherlands Forex brokers due to Capitalise AI, which enables algorithmic trading in a code-free environment. It ensures traders have a competitive edge unavailable at most brokers, as it lowers the entry bar for algorithmic trading, a necessary tool for profitable trading. The MT5 trading platform fully supports algorithmic and copy trading.
Traders get an AI-powered economic calendar, and Eightcap connects to TradingView, allowing social traders to share and discuss trades with 50M+ peers. The commission-based Raw account offers competitive fees with spreads from 0.1 pips for a commission of $7.00 per 1.0 round lot.
Pros & Cons
- Low minimum deposit and high leverage of up to 1:500
- Competitive cost structure
- Excellent technology infrastructure and seasoned management team
- Daily research and quality educational content
- Limited leverage in some areas
ActivTrades
In SummaryI rank ActivTrades among the best Forex brokers in the Netherlands due to its quality trading platform choices of MT4/MT5, ActivTrader, and TradingView. The well-balanced asset selection features 22 Dutch equity CFDs, 14 EUR currency pairs, four EUR bonds, and the AEX 25 as a cash index. ActivTrades offers a €20,000 investor compensation fund or compensation for up to 90% of deposits and enhanced client protection with funds secured up to $1M.
ActivTrades provides commission-free trading, including ultra-low swap rates for leveraged overnight trading strategies, and can execute 100K orders per second with an average order execution below 0.004 seconds.
Pros & Cons
- Demo Account
- Highly Regulated
- Low Spreads
- No Choice of Trading Accounts
FP Markets
In Summary ECN trading with leverage up to 1:500fpmarkets is an ASIC-regulated Australian brokerage which launched in 2005. For most traders, the unique selling point of this broker is in the extremely wide range of tradable assets offered, providing the opportunity to trade over ten thousand individual stocks and shares including publicly quoted Hong Kong and Australian companies. Ffpmarkets also offers 60 Forex pairs and crosses, 11 equity indices, the major commodities, and 5 cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin. fpmarkets offers an unusual hybrid ECN/STP execution model, meaning their clients can choose between ECN style of execution giving a very high level of speed, and a “straight through processing” execution style which allows for more “natural” spreads.
Pros & Cons
- Choice of trading platforms and auxiliary trading tools
- Very competitive cost structure and excellent asset selection
- Low minimum deposit requirement and leverage of up to 1:500
- Well-regulated and trustworthy
- Availability of Iress geographically restricted
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Regulators | ASIC, BVI, Central Bank of Ireland, FFAJ, FSCA, KNF, MiFID | FMA, FSA | ASIC, CySEC, FCA, SCB | CNMV, CONSOB, FCA, FSC Mauritius, SCB | ASIC, CMA, CySEC, FSCA |
Year Established | 2006 | 2014 | 2009 | 2001 | 2005 |
Execution Type(s) | Market Maker | ECN/STP, No Dealing Desk | ECN/STP, Market Maker | Market Maker | ECN/STP |
Minimum Deposit | |||||
Average Trading Cost EUR/USD | 0.9 pips | 1.3 pips | 1.0 pips | $10.00 | 1.2 pips |
Average Trading Cost GBP/USD | 1.5 pips | 2.0 pips | 1.2 pips | $14.00 | 1.4 pips |
Average Trading Cost Gold | $0.29 | $0.90 | $0.12 | $42.00 | $0.16 |
Trading Platform(s) | Other, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Proprietary platform, Web-based+ | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, Trading View | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Trading View | Other, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Proprietary platform, Trading View+ | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, Proprietary platform, Web-based |
Islamic Account | |||||
Negative Balance Protection | |||||
| Visit Website | Visit Website | Visit Website | Visit Website | Visit Website |
Is Forex Trading Legal in the Netherlands?
Yes, Forex trading is legal in the Netherlands. Traders resident in Holland can trade Forex and other markets, including futures, stocks, CFDs, options, commodities, and cryptocurrencies. There are regulatory and legal issues affecting brokers, but Netherlands residents do not face any legal hurdles, provided of course that profits are declared for tax purposes.
Do Forex Traders Pay Tax in the Netherlands?
Traders may have to pay tax depending on the nature of their trading and the value of their assets. The rules can change, and professional advice should always be taken from qualified individuals.
- Owning shares, crypto assets, or occasional trading of Forex is reported in “Box 3,” and the first €50,000 of assets are tax-free. After that, the box 3 tax rate is assessed against a hypothetical yield, not on actual gains.
- However, if trading or speculating activities exceed normal, active asset management, then there is a risk of the activity being deemed as ‘entrepreneurship’ and being taxed in “Box 1” with a tax rate on actual net income and net gains.
Forex Regulations in the Netherlands
The Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) regulates the entire financial markets sector in the Netherlands, including Forex and other financial markets brokers.
Which brokers can legally offer services to Dutch traders?
- AFM allows brokers based in the Netherlands or the European Economic Area to offer services to Dutch residents, but AFM regulates the two categories differently.
Brokers based in the Netherlands:
- AFM directly regulates Forex brokers based in the Netherlands, which means they must comply with Dutch financial market regulations.
Brokers from the European Economic Area (the European Union + Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland):
- European Economic Area brokers outside the Netherlands must first have a European passport. The AFM registers the broker before they can offer services in the Netherlands.
- Remember, the AFM does not directly regulate European brokers (unless they have a branch office in the Netherlands)—it only provides a license to operate in the Netherlands.
- European brokers with an AFM license are subject to supervision by their home countries’ regulators, not the AFM.
- A Dutch resident with a complaint against a European broker must first go to the broker’s domestic regulator for a resolution.
Where can I get more information on regulations for the Netherlands?
- You can read more about broker licenses and European passports at AFM.
- For further questions, you can contact AFM.
Dutch regulations key takeaway:
- Both Dutch and European brokers can offer services to Dutch residents, but a broker’s home country’s regulations apply in this case. Make sure that you are satisfied with your home country’s regulations if taking this route, such as operating capital requirements for brokers, dispute resolutions, and rules for client funds.
Cryptocurrencies in the Netherlands
- The AFM allows Cryptocurrency trading, and many brokers offer Crypto trading to Dutch residents.
- Trading Crypto assets can be subject to tax on any profits, like trading other assets such as stocks.
Islamic Accounts in the Netherlands
What is an Islamic account?
- Islamic accounts, also known as “swap-free accounts,” do not pay or earn interest in line with Shariah rules prohibiting riba (interest).
Are there different fees instead of interest?
- Yes. Instead of interest, Islamic accounts can charge:
- A flat rate financing charge or admin fee on trades open for more than 1 day.
- Increased spreads.
Can you trade any market with Islamic accounts?
- Brokers typically restrict you from trading some markets with an Islamic account, such as cryptocurrencies and exotic Forex pairs, e.g., involving the South African Rand or Mexican Peso.
Islamic Account key takeaway:
- If you are interested in an Islamic trading account, make sure you can trade the types of markets you want in this account type, and that you are comfortable with brokers’ fees that replace interest.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Broker in the Netherlands
Quality of execution:
- Next to regulation, this should one of the most significant factors in choosing a broker. Trade execution should be fast with low slippage.
Trading costs and fees:
- Commissions and spreads make up trading costs, and you want these to be as low as possible without sacrificing good execution.
Support:
- Some brokers only offer email support, and others also offer phone support.
- Some brokers offer live support 24 hours a day, and others only during certain hours.
Deposit & withdrawal methods:
- Brokers offer a variety of methods to deposit and withdraw funds, from wire transfers, credit cards, and PayPal. Find a broker offering at least one method that suits you.
Netherlands Trading Advantages
- The Netherlands is in one of the best time zones in the world for trading Forex, with the London, European, and New York opens easily tradeable during normal daytime business hours.
- The AFM only allows Forex brokers in the Netherlands or European Economic Area to provide services to Dutch residents. When looking for the best online broker in the Netherlands, you can be assured of a solid minimum level of regulation and safety of client funds.
Trading with Netherlands Brokers
- Decide first if you want a broker in the Netherlands or a European broker with a passport and license to operate in the Netherlands. The AFM will only directly regulate Netherlands brokers (or a broker with a Netherlands branch office). European brokers are regulated by their home countries’ regulators.
- Then consider factors such as execution, available markets, and trading platforms to help you find the best online broker in the Netherlands.
Bottom Line
The Netherlands has an effective regulatory framework to promote fair and transparent trading conditions. Dutch traders can legally access Forex, shares, futures, crypto and other markets from Dutch and European brokers.
