ThinkMarkets Review: Legit Broker or Scam?

The ThinkMarkets Group holds FCA, FSCA and ASIC licenses for its various platforms around the world. The Australian broker offers its clients investment services on a wide variety of market assets. Can you trust this online broker? Yes. You will find more information about its offering in the rest of this ThinkMarkets review.

Who Is ThinkMarkets?

Founded in 2010, ThinkMarkets is the online brokerage platform of the ThinkMarkets Group, based in London, Melbourne and Johannesburg. Formerly known as ThinkForex, the broker is still young in the world of finance. That does not stop it from aiming to take its place among the biggest names by offering competitive services to investors worldwide.

While this brief description of ThinkMarkets sounds flattering so far, what about its investment services?

To go further, also read our “IFC Markets Review: Legit Trading Site or Scam” and “Naga Trader Review” guides.

ThinkMarkets Key Facts

For this ThinkMarkets review, here is an overview of the brokerage services the broker offers:

Is ThinkMarkets an ECN Broker or a Market Maker?

ThinkMarkets offers No Dealing Desk access, so it can be classed as an ECN broker. This means it lets you trade at the real bid and ask prices on the market, with no spread manipulation. The broker simply acts as your order execution platform, providing the underlying assets for trading.

ThinkMarkets Leverage

Leverage is a form of loan granted by the broker to help you invest in more financial assets. The maximum margin offered by ThinkMarkets depends on the regulator under which you trade:

• FCA: 1:30;
• ASIC, FSCA, FSA: 1:500.

Financial Instruments Available at ThinkMarkets

As mentioned earlier in this ThinkMarkets review, the broker places great emphasis on market diversity. It offers its clients several asset classes to invest in:

• Currency pairs (Forex);
• Indices;
• Commodities: precious metals and agricultural products;
• Share CFDs;
• Futures;

All the markets listed here can also be traded as CFDs.

ThinkMarkets Deposits and Withdrawals

The broker accepts 5 currencies for payments on the platform: the Australian dollar (AUD), the euro (EUR), the US dollar (USD), the British pound (GBP) and the Swiss franc (CHF). You can make deposits and withdrawals using the following payment methods:

• Bank transfer: deposits are credited instantly and withdrawals are processed within 3 business days at most;
• Credit/debit card (Visa & Mastercard): all transactions are instant;
• Neteller: up to 24 hours to process a withdrawal request;
• Skrill: withdrawals processed within 10 minutes at most;
• BitPay: withdrawals processed within 10 minutes at most.

How to Contact ThinkMarkets

It is important to be able to reach customer service when a technical problem arises or for more information about an offer. That is why we list the contact options ThinkMarkets provides:

• United Kingdom: +44 203 514 2374;
• Australia: +61-3-9093-3400;
• Italy: +39 023 057 9033;
• Spain: +34-911829975;
• Live chat on the website;

Is ThinkMarkets Trustworthy in 2025?

This question comes up often whenever you have to invest money on a platform. In this ThinkMarkets review, we can say that the broker provides some guarantees about the reliability of its services. In particular, the online broker holds licenses from regulators that oversee the biggest names in finance. Based on this criterion, you can trust it.

Are There Any Scams Involving the Broker?

This was another important point to check to make sure the broker is trustworthy. Our research found no trace of scams involving ThinkMarkets. The platform appears to be recommendable, even if it is not really the online broker for you.

ThinkMarkets Regulation

Regulation is an excellent way to judge the reliability of a brokerage offering. That is why, in this ThinkMarkets review, we detail the licenses held by the trading platform:

• Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) – TF Global Markets (Aust) Limited has been authorized since 2012 under license number 424700
• Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) – TF Global Markets (UK) Limited has been authorized since 2015 under license number FRN 629628.
• Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) – TF Global Markets (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd has been authorized since 2019 under license number 2017/098181/07.
• Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA) – Think Capital Limited has been authorized since 2010 under license number 51879.
• Seychelles Financial Services Authority (FSA) – TF Global Markets Int Limited has been authorized since 2010 under license number 8424818-1.

As you can see, ThinkMarkets is fairly well regulated, but that does not make it an excellent broker.

Is There a French Branch of ThinkMarkets?

As you will have noticed from the broker’s regulation, ThinkMarkets has no premises in France. The Australian online broker does not even offer its platform in French, which is a shame for all French-speaking traders. We therefore suggest looking at brokerage offerings such as eToro or Axi, which are tailored to local investors.

Is ThinkMarkets an AMF Broker?

The broker does not appear on the blacklist of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers. This means it complies with the AMF’s rules on investor protection.

How Does ThinkMarkets Protect Client Funds and Data?

These protections are meant to ensure your money is safe and to cover you in the event of an incident that is not your fault. ThinkMarkets offers the following:

• Compensation of up to $1 million in the event of an incident;
• Segregation between the accounts holding client capital and its own accounts;
• Negative balance protection, only for accounts opened under FCA regulation.

As for its clients’ personal data, ThinkMarkets follows the recommendations of its regulators, mainly the FCA and ASIC.

What Awards Has ThinkMarkets Received?

Over the years, the Australian broker has collected several distinctions recognizing the quality of its brokerage services. Here are some of them:

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ThinkMarkets Trading Accounts

The online broker spreads its trading offering across different accounts, each with its own features, which we detail below.

The Standard Account

This is the trading account designed for beginners on the Australian platform. Among other things, it offers:

• No minimum deposit;
• Spreads from 0.4 pips, averaging 1.2 pips on Forex;
• Commission-free trading;
• Maximum leverage of 1:500 or 1:30 depending on the regulator;
• Maximum trade size of 50 lots;
• No restrictions on stop loss and take profit distance;
• Access to the MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and ThinkTrader platforms;
• 24/7 live support;
• Minimum of 1.0 lot.

The ThinkZero Account

This is ThinkMarkets’ premium account. It offers:

• $500 minimum deposit;
• Spreads from 0 pips, averaging 0.1 pips on Forex;
• Commission-free trading;
• Maximum leverage of 1:500 or 1:30 depending on the regulator;
• Maximum trade size of 100 lots;
• No restrictions on stop loss and take profit distance;
• MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 platforms for trading;
• 24/7 live support;
• Minimum of 1.0 lot.

The Islamic Account

Also known as a swap-free account, this trading account is designed for Muslim traders. To get one, you need to submit a request to ThinkMarkets.

The Joint Account

ThinkMarkets lets its clients create an account shared by several people. To get one, you need to submit a request to the broker.

Which ThinkMarkets Account Do We Recommend?

This is not the broker we recommend, but if you have to choose an account, go for ThinkZero. It is the most complete of ThinkMarkets’ offerings. Although this account does not give you the ThinkTrader platform, it makes up for it with competitive fees and the MetaTrader 4 and 5 software.

What Are ThinkMarkets’ Fees?

Fees are usually linked to trading activity. They include commissions, spreads and swaps.

• Commissions

These fees are calculated directly on each trade. ThinkMarkets charges no commission on the Standard account, while the ThinkZero account is charged $3.50 per lot.

• Spreads

These are the costs resulting from the difference between the bid price and the ask price of an asset. Here is an overview of those you will find at ThinkMarkets:

As you can see, the broker’s fees are fairly attractive. However, this is still not enough to make it one of the best low-spread brokers.

ThinkMarkets Trading Platforms

These are downloadable or web-based software that let you trade the financial markets. They are the graphical interface that gives you access to asset prices and helps you define your investment strategies. ThinkMarkets offers the following platforms:

• MetaTrader 4

This is MetaQuotes’ first trading software. It offers privileged access to forex trading, giving you some of the best technical tools on the market. It includes around twenty indicators, including oscillators and trend lines. It is a robust platform built for high-performance trading and automated trading with Expert Advisor (EA) robots. ThinkMarkets offers it on mobile (iOS and Android), WebTrader and PC.

• MetaTrader 5

This is MetaQuotes’ second software package. It is a kind of upgrade of MetaTrader 4 and opens up several other financial asset classes: in addition to currency pairs, you can trade stocks, indices and commodities. It also offers more technical indicators and more chart timeframes than MT4, as well as automated trading via Expert Advisor (EA) plug-ins. ThinkMarkets offers it on mobile (iOS and Android), WebTrader, iPad and PC.

• ThinkTrader

This is the broker’s proprietary in-house platform. It has a simple, compact graphical interface and is fairly robust. It gives you access to features such as:

1. TrendRisk, which analyzes the market and suggests the best investment opportunities in the trends of underlying assets;
2. Real-time display of market data and movements;
3. 80 trend analysis indicators and oscillators;
4. 50 charting tools for analyzing asset price curves;
5. Constant data updates, even offline.

• ZuluTrade

This is the world’s most popular third-party social trading software. It lets you copy the moves and investments of other traders on the platform.

Slippage and Order Execution at ThinkMarkets

Slippage is the gap between the moment you place an order on the market and the moment it is filled. It usually occurs with ECN brokers, and ThinkMarkets is one of them. The online broker gives no information on whether slippage occurs on its platform, how long it lasts, let alone how to avoid it, which costs ThinkMarkets a few points in this review.

ThinkMarkets Education

For this ThinkMarkets review, we also look at the support the platform offers novice traders. After analysis, we found that the broker provides a whole range of educational content to help beginners learn, including:

• Tutorials graded from beginner to intermediate;
• Articles on various financial topics, some covering trading basics;
• A glossary with definitions of common financial market terms and concepts.

None of this content is available in French. You can turn to brokers such as AvaTrade or Axi for suitable training.

ThinkMarkets Trading Calculator and Tools

The broker does not offer a cost calculator on its platform. However, its FAQ explains how each commission and swap is calculated to help traders find their way. This is of course no substitute for an essential tool like a calculator, and it still costs ThinkMarkets points in this review. It does offer some interesting trading features, including:

• Trading Central: brings together the best analysis of asset prices on the market and helps you identify optimal entry points.
• Economic calendar: a summary of major market price movements.

• VPS hosting: lets you connect from any other computer in the event of power cuts or connection problems and keep trading without a hitch.
• Social trading: lets you copy the trades of more experienced traders.

Does ThinkMarkets Offer a Welcome Bonus?

ThinkMarkets offers this bonus, which is particularly popular with traders. It is worth $25 and is only available for accounts opened under ASIC, FSA and FSCA regulation.

How Does the ThinkMarkets Affiliate Program Work?

To find out more, go to the “Partnership” tab and then to the broker’s “Affiliate Program”. ThinkMarkets offers the following options:

• Affiliation;
• Introducing brokers (IB);
• Portfolio management;
• Regional representation;
• API trading;

ThinkMarkets vs Other Brokers

To better judge ThinkMarkets’ brokerage offering in this review, we compare it with similar brokers. Here is a summary:

Broker	Strengths	Customer Rating
	Well-regulated broker Low live spreads MetaTrader 4 and 5 available	★★★☆☆ 3/5	Discover
	Excellent stock broker Protection of client funds Comprehensive forex training	★★★★★ 5/5	Discover
	Tight spreads Free deposits/withdrawals Comprehensive education section	★★★★☆ 4.5/5	Discover
	Copy trading feature Large community Buy stocks for €0	★★★★☆ 4.5/5

ThinkMarkets Pros and Cons

It is time to look at the positives and negatives identified in this ThinkMarkets review.

Conclusion: What to Make of ThinkMarkets in 2025?

All in all, ThinkMarkets’ offering is well put together but leaves plenty of room for improvement. It still does not really compare with the best brokers, such as Vantage, which is one of the platforms we strongly recommend. Like InstaForex according to our reviews, ThinkMarkets is not very popular on the French market.

Do you have more questions or want to share your experience with the broker? Feel free to leave a comment!

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