EasyMarkets vs IC Markets: Which Broker Wins for Iraq Traders? (2026)

IC Markets offers much lower trading costs for Iraqi traders. Its Raw Spread account provides spreads from 0.0 pips on major forex pairs with a commission of $3.5 per lot per side. The Standard account has spreads from 0.6 pips with no commission. In contrast, EasyMarkets uses fixed spreads that start at around 1.2 pips on EUR/USD and go higher for exotics – making IC Markets far more cost-effective, especially for volume traders. For Iraqi traders converting IQD to USD to trade, lower spreads help offset conversion costs. IC Markets also has lower margin requirements, which is beneficial for emerging retail traders with smaller capital.

IC Markets provides the widest platform choice, including MT4, MT5, cTrader, and a WebTrader. These are essential for Iraqi traders using low-bandwidth connections because they are lightweight and can run on older hardware. EasyMarkets offers its proprietary web-based platform and a mobile app, which is simpler but lacks advanced charting and custom indicators. For Iraqi traders who want to automate strategies or use advanced analysis, IC Markets is clearly superior. Both platforms offer Arabic language support, but IC Markets’ cTrader is especially popular in the Middle East for its intuitive design.

IC Markets offers No Dealing Desk (NDD) execution with a low latency data center in the NY4 Equinix data center – ensuring fast order fills even during volatile news events. EasyMarkets uses a market maker model, which may result in requotes and slippage during high volatility. For Iraqi traders who rely on quick entry and exit due to fluctuating local conditions, IC Markets’ superior execution speed (sub-1ms) and minimal slippage are significant advantages. Both brokers offer negative balance protection, but IC Markets’ ECN environment is more transparent.

EasyMarkets is regulated by CySEC (Cyprus) and the FSA (Seychelles), while IC Markets holds licenses from ASIC (Australia), CySEC, and the FSA. Neither broker is directly regulated by the ISC (Iraq Securities Commission), which has no specific forex broker oversight. Iraqi traders should prioritize brokers with strong offshore regulation to ensure fund safety. IC Markets’ ASIC regulation imposes tough client money segregation rules, giving Iraqi traders more confidence. EasyMarkets also offers negative balance protection for EU clients, but this may not apply to Iraq-based accounts. Always verify the specific regulatory entity you are opening an account with.

Both EasyMarkets and IC Markets support the three payment methods most relevant to Iraqi traders: Bank Transfer (international wire in USD/EUR), USDT (Tether via TRC20/ERC20), and ZainCash (a popular e-wallet in Iraq). Bank transfers can take 2-5 business days and incur fees from intermediary banks, while USDT deposits are near-instant with minimal fees. ZainCash is widely used by Iraqi traders for both deposits and withdrawals, with fast processing times. IC Markets processes withdrawals in 1 business day, while EasyMarkets may take up to 2 days. For Iraqi traders, using USDT or ZainCash avoids the slow wire transfer process and avoids issues with local banks that may not support forex broker transfers. Minimum deposits are low – $50 for IC Markets and $100 for EasyMarkets – making both accessible to emerging retail traders.

Islamic (swap-free) accounts are available from both brokers for Iraqi Muslim traders who wish to avoid interest (riba). EasyMarkets provides these accounts upon request, and the account remains swap-free indefinitely for all instruments. IC Markets also offers Islamic accounts on all its platforms (MT4, MT5, cTrader), with the condition that the account is used strictly for trading and not arbitrage. Iraqi traders should note that IC Markets may charge a small administrative fee if positions are held for more than a few days, while EasyMarkets does not apply such fees. Overall, both brokers cater well to Iraq’s predominantly Muslim trading population.

IC Markets provides 24/5 multilingual customer support via live chat, email, and phone, with dedicated Arabic support during business hours. EasyMarkets also offers 24/5 live chat and phone support but has fewer Arabic-speaking agents. For Iraqi traders, having responsive support that can assist in Arabic and handle queries related to local payment methods is valuable. IC Markets’ support is generally faster and more knowledgeable about technical trading issues.