France has over 68 million citizens and is a high-income developed economy that constantly ranks in the global Top 10 Countries for various metrics.
French traders generally have access to cutting-edge trading infrastructure capable of handling highly advanced algorithmic trading strategies.
I have conducted an in-depth review of dozens of Forex brokers for my Forex Brokers in France ranking, which lists the best choices for the most popular French Forex trading strategies.
Best Forex Brokers in France at a Glance
- Eightcap, Competitive pricing + excellent daily videos.
- BlackBull Markets, Best ECN trading environment, with scalping and hedging.
- ActivTrades, .
- AvaTrade, Highly regulated, choice of fixed or floating spreads.
- Pepperstone, Great ECN execution on MT4/5, cTader, TradingView and Pepperstone proprietary platform.
- FP Markets, ECN trading with leverage up to 1:500.
Best France Brokers Comparison
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Regulators | ASIC, CySEC, FCA, SCB | FMA, FSA | CNMV, CONSOB, FCA, SCB | ASIC, BVI, Central Bank of Ireland, FFAJ, FSCA, KNF, MiFID | ASIC, BaFin, CMA, CySEC, DFSA, FCA, SCB | ASIC, CMA, CySEC, FSCA |
Year Established | 2009 | 2014 | 2001 | 2006 | 2010 | 2005 |
Execution Type(s) | ECN/STP, Market Maker | ECN/STP, No Dealing Desk | Market Maker | Market Maker | No Dealing Desk, NDD | ECN/STP |
Minimum Deposit | ||||||
Average Trading Cost EUR/USD | 1.0 pips | 1.3 pips | $10.00 | 0.9 pips | 1.1 pips | 1.2 pips |
Average Trading Cost GBP/USD | 1.2 pips | 2.0 pips | $14.00 | 1.5 pips | 1.4 pips | 1.4 pips |
Average Trading Cost Gold | $0.12 | $0.90 | $42.00 | $0.29 | $0.15 | $0.16 |
Trading Platform(s) | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Trading View | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, Trading View | Other, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Proprietary platform, Trading View+ | Other, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Proprietary platform, Web-based+ | Other, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, Proprietary platform, Trading View+ | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, Proprietary platform, Web-based |
Islamic Account | ||||||
Negative Balance Protection | N/A | |||||
| Visit Website | Visit Website | Visit Website | Visit Website | Get Started Visit Website75-95% of traders on margin lose | Visit Website |
Eightcap
In Summary Competitive pricing + excellent daily videosEightcap established itself among the best Forex brokers due to its superb trading infrastructure, excellent order execution amid deep liquidity, competitive fees, and cutting-edge trading tools. Manual traders get a well-designed AI-powered economic calendar, and Eightcap upgrades MT4 via Capitalise AI, which enables algorithmic trading in a code-free environment. MT5 traders benefit from Flash Trader, while the dedicated cryptocurrency solution Crypto Crusher caters to cryptocurrency traders.
Copy traders get the embedded MT4/MT5 services, and Eightcap connects social traders to the active TradingView community. Beginner traders get an outstanding educational and research offering via Eightcap Labs and Eightcap Trade Zone.
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
BlackBull Markets
In Summary Best ECN trading environment, with scalping and hedgingI place BlackBull Markets highly on my best Forex brokers in France listing as it delivers institutional-grade trading conditions with Equinix servers located in New York (NY4), London (LD5), and Tokyo (TY3). Traders also benefit from ultra-low commission-based trading fees as low as $4.00 per 1.0 standard round lot. 66+ third-party providers provide deep liquidity with an average order execution speed of less than 75 milliseconds.
BlackBull Markets maintains an excellent choice of payment processors, including SEPA transactions. Traders can use MT4/MT5, cTrader, BlackBull Invest, BlackBull Markets CopyTrade, ZuluTrade, Myfxbook Autotrade, and TradingView, and beginners receive a high-quality education.
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
ActivTrades
In SummaryFrench traders can trade at EU-licensed entities with regulatory oversight in Portugal and Italy. It ensures French traders have a MiFID II and GDPR-compliant broker and are protected by a €20,000 investor compensation fund or compensation for up to 90% of deposits. ActivTrades offers commission-free trading, MT4/MT5, ActivTrader, and TradingView. It also maintains a French website. Therefore, I rank ActivTrades among the best Forex brokers in France.
The well-balanced asset selection includes 43 French equity CFDs, the CAC 40 as a cash index and index future, four EUR bonds, and 14 EUR currency pairs with an average order execution speed below 0.004 seconds.
Pros & Cons
- Demo Account
- Highly Regulated
- Low Spreads
- No Choice of Trading Accounts
AvaTrade
In Summary Highly regulated, choice of fixed or floating spreadsTraders at AvaTrade get reasonable commission-free trading from one of the most recognized EU-based retail brokers. Beginners can start with an industry-leading educational service from the Ava Academy, developed over the years to help its clients. AvaTrade is also home to some of the best passive income opportunities via its high-paying affiliate program with 145,000 registered partners and $300,000,000+ in commission payouts made to date.
AvaTrade ranks as the broker from my Forex Brokers in France review with the most trading platform choices. The proprietary WebTrader and mobile app AvaTradeGO come with embedded Trading Central services. Traders can also use the specialized Ava Option and Ava Social platforms, standard MT4/MT5, and DupliTrade.
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
Pepperstone
In Summary Great ECN execution on MT4/5, cTader, TradingView and Pepperstone proprietary platformPepperstone presents a well-regulated trading environment with EU licenses issued by BaFin in Germany and CySEC in Cyprus, among other licenses. It ranks as the broker from my Forex Brokers France review with the most competitive trading tools. VPS hosting ensures low-latency 24/5 algorithmic Forex trading, while the competitive commission-based pricing environment and well-balanced asset selection make Pepperstone ideal for scalpers and algorithmic traders.
Traders get 24/5 + 18/2 customer support, and Pepperstone is an award-winning broker with quality trading guides and webinars for beginners. Pepperstone also maintains a leading social and copy trading infrastructure for some jurisdictions and supports same-day withdrawals.
Pros & Cons
- Excellent choice of trading platforms consisting of MT4/MT5, cTrader, TreadingView and Pepperstone Platform
- Market-leading MT4/MT5 upgrade package, Autochartist, and API trading
- Social trading support via Signal Start, MetaTrader Signals, Copy Trading by Pepperstone, DupliTrade
- Leverage of up to 1:400 depends on jurisdiction and superb trade execution
- Demo accounts have 60-day time limits
FP Markets
In Summary ECN trading with leverage up to 1:500French-resident traders will deal with the CySEC-regulated subsidiary under ESMA oversight. FP Markets offers 24/7 multilingual customer support and provides beginner traders access to quality educational content. It also ranks among the Forex brokers from my Forex Brokers France review with the most copy trading choices. Besides embedded services in MT4, MT5, and cTrader, FP Markets offers its proprietary alternative, the well-known Myfxbook Autotrade service and fee-based Signal Start.
The FP Markets trading environment consists of competitive, commission-based trading fees and a well-balanced asset selection, including bonds and ETFs. Algorithmic traders get VPS hosting for low latency and 24/5 market access.
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
What to Look for in a Forex Broker from France
All competitive French Forex brokers should provide the following:
- Regulation - A clean regulatory history spanning 10+ years.
- Low trading fees - Low trading fees and competitive swap rates, including paying out positive swaps when relevant.
- Trading platforms - Fully supportive of algorithmic, copy, and mobile trading.
- Asset diversity - A well-balanced asset selection of liquid trading instruments.
- Deposits/Withdrawals - No internal transaction fees and low minimum deposit and withdrawal requirements.
Forex Trading Regulations in France
The Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) and the Banque de France regulate the domestic Forex market. The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) is the super-regulator in the EU, and the European Central Bank supersedes the Banque de France. The AMF ensures that Forex brokers active in France comply with the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II). All brokers from our Forex Brokers France review serve French Forex traders from an EU-based subsidiary.
How Much is Forex Leverage in France?
The maximum Forex leverage allowed in France is 1:30 for retail traders, in compliance with ESMA regulations. Traders who qualify for a professional account can increase this to 1:500, the industry standard for retail traders in competitive jurisdictions. All brokers in my Forex Brokers in France review offer negative balance protection, ensuring traders cannot lose more than they deposit. Forex traders must always use proper risk management when trading on leveraged accounts.
How to Start Forex Trading in France?
Before opening a live account with any brokers from our Forex Brokers France review, traders may consider the following tips to shorten their learning curve.
Here are our top tips on how to start Forex trading in France:
- Quality education should always be the first step, which requires a sufficient investment of time.
- Forex trading is a highly skilled profession, and you must respect it as one.
- Master the critical aspect of trading psychology, as it separates up to 90% of unprofitable traders from profitable ones.
- Understand the relationship between leverage and risk management.
- Remember, leverage magnifies profits and losses.
- Proper risk management is critical to any trading strategy.
- A suitable trading strategy should reflect your personality strengths.
- Low trading fees are key to determining a competitive trading environment.
- Learn how to use take profit and stop loss orders when trading.
What is the Best Trading Platform in France
MT4 is the best trading platform in France, as 80%+ of daily Forex trading volume is algorithmic, and most brokers from my Forex Brokers in France review will offer it. Traders can upgrade it via 25,000+ custom indicators, templates, and EAs. Besides being the leading algorithmic trading platform, it fully supports API connectivity and copy trading. MT5 and cTrader come in as the second and third-best choices, as they lack the overall versatility of MT4.
Forex Trading Taxation in France
During my Forex Brokers in France analysis, I uncovered three potential taxes for which Forex traders may be liable.
Potential Forex trading taxes in France consist of the following:
- 19.0% capital gains tax
- 17.2% social tax
- Variable financial transaction tax (may not apply to each Forex transaction)
Forex traders in France must consult a legal professional to seek tax advice based on their situation to ensure compliance with French rules and regulations.
Pros & Cons of Forex Trading in France
Forex traders should evaluate the possible pros and cons of Forex trading in France before funding an account with a broker from my Forex Brokers in France listing.
The pros of Forex trading in France are:
- 24/5 decentralized market
- Low-latency algorithmic and API trading supported
- PAMM/MAM accounts
- Copy and social trading
- Passive income opportunities
- Mobile trading
- Lower capital requirements required versus other assets
The cons of Forex trading in France are:
- No bonuses or incentives
- Restrictive retail leverage
- Uncompetitive trading conditions
- False sense of accomplishment from demo trading
- Manual trading in an algorithmic trading environment
- Disconnect between leverage and its relationship to risk management
- Disrespect for Forex trading as a high-skilled profession
- Emotion-based decision-making is a widespread problem
- Unrealistic trading expectations
Bottom Line
Forex trading in France is popular, but French-resident Forex traders face a restrictive regulatory environment despite having access to competitive trading infrastructure from a technological perspective. All brokers from my Forex Brokers in France review cater to French Forex traders via EU-based subsidiaries.
While advanced algorithmic trading solutions exist across France, most retail traders rely on copy trading via mobile phones. Traditional account management via MAM/PAMM accounts is another favoured approach. Many French Forex traders also want their brokers to offer cryptocurrency CFDs.
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