Overview
IC Trading has been a top destination for automated trading for years. The raw-spread brand from the IC ecosystem has consistently focused on low raw spreads and fast execution — precisely the two levers that make or break Expert Advisors and scalping strategies. For our target audience — algo and EA traders — this is a near-ideal fit.
A note on the brand: IC Trading operates through Capital Point Trading Ltd, licensed by the FSC Mauritius. The original brand, IC Markets, carries the regulatory core (ASIC, CySEC, FSA) and is the more natural choice for EU/Australian clients — see our sister review of IC Markets for the full breakdown.
Regulation & Safety
According to its own website, IC Trading operates solely through Capital Point Trading Ltd, licensed by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) Mauritius (licence GB21026834). The brand holds no ASIC, CySEC or BaFin licence — our earlier statement to that effect was wrong and has been corrected (as of 30 Sep 2026). Leverage is up to 1:500 on all accounts.
For DACH traders this means: no EU investor compensation, no ESMA safeguards, and disputes go to an offshore regulator. If you want EU regulation, open with the sister brand IC Markets via its CySEC entity. IC Trading's regulation score therefore sits in the offshore band (3.5 out of 5).
Costs
On the Raw Spread account, spreads start at 0.0 pips, with a commission of 3.50 USD per lot per side (MetaTrader) or 3.00 USD via cTrader. This equates to an effective all-in cost of roughly 0.6–0.7 pips on EUR/USD — very competitive, though not the absolute cheapest option on the market. The Standard account drops the commission but widens spreads to around 0.8 pips; for most EAs, the Raw account is the better choice.
Execution
This is where IC Trading excels most. According to IC Trading, its trade servers sit in the Equinix NY4 data centre in New York — a hub of FX liquidity. IC Trading does not name a separate location for its cTrader servers (its sister brand IC runs cTrader in London LD5), so check the ping before buying a VPS. Combined with deep liquidity pools, this means low latency, minimal slippage, and virtually no requotes — exactly the profile that latency-sensitive scalpers and near-HFT EAs require. In practice, execution is one of the most reliable in the industry.
EA & Algo Suitability
No compromises here: EAs, scalping, and hedging are permitted without restriction. MetaTrader 4/5 and cTrader are both available, and from 15 lots FX/metals per month you get the free IC VPS with direct connectivity to the trading servers — the critical building block for running EAs reliably around the clock without leaving a personal machine running. Traders operating multi-EA portfolios will find one of the cleanest environments available.
Conditions, Deposits & Support
The minimum deposit is nominally 0 USD, though 200 USD+ is practical. Deposits and withdrawals cover cards, bank transfers, and popular e-wallets, and are processed promptly; support is available 24/7. The main deduction is the thin educational and research offering relative to specialist providers — for a pure execution platform, that is acceptable.
Verdict
For algo and EA traders, IC Trading is a top recommendation: tight raw spreads, outstanding execution, a free VPS, and zero strategy restrictions. The real trade-off is regulation: FSC Mauritius only. If EU protection matters to you, go with the sister brand IC Markets. All things considered, one of the best brokers in its class for automated trading.