gt.io Broker Review

Is gt.io safe?

Founded in 2020, gt.io offers international multi-asset trading from its headquarters in South Africa.  It is regulated by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) and the Seychelles Financial Services Authority (SFSA).  Although gt.io operates internationally, it does not broker under the supervision of ESMA, and cannot provide financial services to European Union countries.  See below for a list of registrations:

• GT IO Markets (Pty) Ltd is regulated by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority under the FSCA FSP Number 48896.
• 360 Degrees Markets Ltd is a registered company in Seychelles, with Registration Number 8421720-1.  

Due to the strict regulatory oversight required by these regulators, all client funds are held in segregated tier-1 bank accounts.  It also offers negative balance protection, which means traders cannot lose more than they have in their trading account. 

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Trading Conditions

An STP, gt.io does not have a dealing desk and offers Market Execution for all trading pairs, meaning that orders are routed to its execution venues and returned to the client at the best available bid/ask prices. The average execution speed is 120 milliseconds.  Although it does not charge a commission or withdrawal fees, a mark-up is applied to the variable raw spreads furnished by liquidity providers. 

gt.io offers one standard account and an unlimited demo account, supported by the popular MT5 platform.  Dynamic leverage is high on the accounts, up to 1000:1, while the minimum transaction level is 0.01 lots.  gt.io only allows currencies to be denominated in USD, EUR, ZAR, BTC, ETH, and USDT.

Trading sessions run from Sunday 00.00 (GMT+3) until Friday 00.00 (GMT+3).  It also offers Islamic Swap-Free accounts.

gt.io Standard Account

The standard account is a commission-free trading account with variable spreads and no minimum operating balance.  Leverage is up to 1000:1, and trades are executed through the MT5 platform. There is no minimum deposit on the standard account, and gt.io allows hedging and scalping.  Note that gt.io will charge an inactivity fee of 10 USD on accounts that are dormant for longer than 90 days. 

Demo account

The gt.io demo account does not expire, which is helpful for beginner traders.  In demo-mode, one can view charts, news, and analysis, get access to the full-featured MT5 platform, experience real-time prices and real forex market volatility.  While the demo account is not limited in time, it will automatically close after three months of inactivity.

Spreads and commissions

gt.io’s variable spreads on major pairs average at 1.60 pips but can fall to 1.40 pips at times.  Because gt.io does not charge a commission or withdrawal fees, a mark-up is applied to the variable raw spreads provided by execution venues. 

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Broker

Trading Conditions

Base Currencies

EURUSD (Standard)

Trading Cost (Standard)

EURUSD (Best)

GBPUSD (Best)

USDJPY (Best)

Commission

Global GT

4/ 5

USD, EUR, ZAR, BTC, ETH, USDT

1.40 pips

USD 14

1.90 pips

2.20 pips

1.60 pips

USD 0

Globex360

2/ 5

ZAR, USD, KWD, EUR, GBP

2.00 pips

USD 32

1.60 pips

0 pips

0 pips

USD 12

FXCC

5/ 5

EUR, USD, GBP

0.60 pips

USD 6

0.40 pips

0.40 pips

0.40 pips

USD 0

Deposits and Withdrawals

Deposits and withdrawals are denominated in USD, EUR, ZAR, BTC, ETH, and USDT, but trading currencies are limited to EUR, USD, and ZAR.  In line with the Anti-Money Laundering Directive, gt.io operates a “return to source” policy, meaning that withdrawals must be made via the same method and the same account as the original deposit. 

gt.io does not charge deposit or withdrawal fees but charges an inactivity fee on dormant accounts. Withdrawals are processed within three hours on average.   Deposits and withdrawals can be made via the following methods:

• Bank Wire: A minimum deposit of 250.000 Shilling is required using this method, and the processing time is two to five business days.  Withdrawals are free, though banks may charge for the service, and transaction time is 3-5 business days. These are only processed Monday-Friday 09:00-17:00 GMT.
• Visa/Mastercard: Deposits are instant, but withdrawals can take up to 24 hours and are only processed on Monday-Friday 09:00-17:00 GMT.
• Neteller: Deposits and withdrawals are processed instantly.
• Skrill: Deposits are processed instantly, but withdrawals can take up to 24 hours. 
• Cryptos (Bitcoin/Ethereum/USDT): Deposits are processed within 1 – 30 minutes, but withdrawals can take up to 24 hours.
• Sticpay: Minimum deposit is 5 USD/EUR.  Deposits and withdrawals are processed instantly.
• Swiffy: Minimum deposit is 250.000 Shilling.  Deposits and withdrawals are processed within one to three business days.

Bonus Structure

gt.io offers discretionary sign-up, deposit and loyalty bonuses for its clients.  Get in touch with gt.io’s customer service to find out more.

gt.io for Beginners

gt.io does not offer anything in the way of educational materials for beginner traders.  It also lacks up-to-date market analysis content, providing only basic trading information.  On the other hand, its demo accounts do not expire, and the responsive customer service team is available 24/7 for all client account and technical questions.

Educational Material

As mentioned, gt.io has no educational content.

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Broker

Beginner Course

Advanced Course

Well Structured Education

Education Quality

Webinars

Global GT

Yes

Yes

Yes

High

Yes

Globex360

No

No

No

Low

No

FXCC

Yes

No

Yes

Medium

No

Analysis Material

gt.io’s limited research and analysis section provides a ‘Trader’s Insights’ page, an economic calendar, and a blog with very few articles.  Market analysis material is only available in English.

Customer Support

The responsive and helpful customer support team at gt.io is available 24/7 via live chat and email in English, but, as with all regulated brokers, it cannot offer investment advice. 

For the purposes of this review, we found the Customer Support at gt.io to be responsive and polite.

Trading Platforms

Unlike other brokers in South Africa, gt.io only offers support for one trading platform – MT5.  That being said, MT5 has all the necessary trading tools and resources on hand to allow traders to conduct research and analysis, enter and exit trades and even use third-party automated trading software.  

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Broker

Platform Choice

Copy Trading

Platforms

Global GT

4/ 5

Yes

MT5

Globex360

4/ 5

Yes

MT4

FXCC

4/ 5

No

MT4

MetaTrader 5

MT5 is one of the most reliable and well-known trading platforms in the industry and is being adopted by more Forex brokers all the time.  It offers 38 technical indicators, 44 analytical objects, 21 timeframes, and an unlimited number of charts.  It has a more modern interface than its predecessor, MT4, and provides Depth of Market in addition to an economic calendar.

gt.io Mobile Apps

MT5 is available as a mobile and tablet download – on both Android and iOS, allowing traders to keep track of their open positions while on the move.

Evaluation Method

We value transparency and openness in the way we review the partners. To bring transparency to the forefront, we have published our review process that includes a detailed breakdown of how we review gt.io’s product offering. Central to that process is the evaluation of the broker’s reliability, the platform offering of the broker, and the trading conditions offered to clients, which are summarised in this review. Each one of these is graded, and an overall score is calculated and assigned to the broker.

Risk Warning

Trading Forex is risky, and each broker is required to detail how risky the trading of Forex CFDs is to clients. gt.io would like you to know that:  Leveraged trading in foreign currency contracts or other off-exchange products on margin carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for everyone. We advise you to carefully consider whether trading is appropriate for you in light of your personal circumstances. You may lose more than you invest. Information on this website is general in nature. We recommend that you seek independent financial advice and ensure you fully understand the risks involved before trading.

Overview

gt.io is an FCSA and SFSA-regulated STP broker, with support for the MT5 platform but with limited account options.   Its variable spreads are wider than its peers, but it offers commission-free trading on its account.  It also does not charge withdrawal or deposit fees and does not have a minimum deposit for accounts denominated in ZAR (other than Bank Wire Transfer and Swiffy).  

gt.io’s chief limitation is its educational and market analysis material, but it provides responsive customer support and has an unlimited demo account.