Binary Options Trading in India

India is one of Asia’s established powerhouse economies. It is home to the continent’s oldest stock market, and has experienced sustained economic growth over many years. While existing regulation represents an obstacle to the competitiveness of Indian binary options brokers at the present, many Indian investors will nevertheless find that online market makers offer a solution to the heavy-hand of India’s strict domestic regulations.

Overview

India is predicted to become the fastest growing global economy by the end of the current decade – outpacing even powerhouse economies such as China, and the emerging economies of smaller nations like Myanmar and the Ivory Coast.

Increased economic activity within a nation will typically presage a growth in private, domestic wealth, too. An expansion of the already vast Indian middle class – with its powerful purchasing and investment potential – may help to reshape the global investment markets of the near future.

But India is also a nation of great contrast: in wealth, in infrastructure, and in the varying degrees of legal rights enjoyed by its citizens. Today, Indian investors do not possess the same economic freedoms as their counterparts in other regions of the globe. With stricter statutes controlling the movement of private capital, Indian investors will often find themselves with limited options.

Due to these tight regulation, the best performing brokers in the region are typically international service providers based overseas. These brokers receive financial oversight from authorities within their own region, and are therefore able to accommodate transactions unaffected by India’s strict legal framework.

The Best Performing Brokers in India

Offering a reliable and trustworthy service is only the starting point for any broker hoping to make its way onto our list of recommended service providers. Our recommended brokers are those who are able to demonstrate excellent customer care, provide an online platform that is accessible, intuitive, and provides versatile trading features and caters to traders of all experience levels; lastly, traders must be able to discover high potential earnings on their investments.

Recommended Broker: Binary.com

Binary.com is one of the oldest market makers on the web, having been an active online broker since 1999. The enterprise specialises in advanced trading features: permitting wide contract durations which may span as much as 365 days – just ten seconds – as well as a payout range of $1 – $50,000 on a single trade. The versatility of the trading window allows for high potential earnings.

The business comprises several subdivisions – each a distinct legal entity which services clients from different areas of the globe. Indian investors will hold their account with Binary (C.R.) S.A. in Costa Rica, enabling investment in binary options, CFD and Forex pairs without legal difficulty.

Recommended Broker: CopyOp

With a multitude of investment options, plus a wealth of social media features, CopyOp has discovered a unique way of attracting new investors to binary trading.

Account holders can follow experienced traders and copy their trades at the click of a button – allowing even novices to invest like a pro. The truly innovative part is that account holders who have their trades copied will receive a percentage of their followers’ earnings, too – meaning that it really pays to forge social media connections.

Recommended Broker: IQ Option

IQ Option presents an attractive choice for India’s investors thanks to its strong app-based trading features, and diverse payment and withdrawal options. It is also possible for newcomers to open a dummy account and trade virtual currency, in order to familiarise themselves with the service.

IQ Option pays out an average 85% bonus on accurate market speculations – although this will rise to a healthy 100% bonus for VIP account holders. With a minimum first deposit of only $10, IQ Option represents an excellent learning platform for new investors.

Perhaps more significantly, IQ Option is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority of the UK, making it one of the safest and most respectable market makers for Indian investors to choose.

Binary Options India – Legal Status

Some investors believe that state control of transactions and gambling make binary options trading an illegal transaction in India. However, this is not the case. At present, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) rules do not address many of the newer forms of trading product in any way.

This places binary options trading within a legal grey area. It is essentially impossible for Indian brokers to sell binary options contracts within the existing regulatory framework of the country. As such, there are no Indian binary options brokers operating today.

Unfortunately, this is not where the confusion ends regarding the legal status of binary options. Because gambling is illegal in many Indian provinces and – because many jurisdictions around the world recognise binary options trading as a form of gaming, rather than investment – it is often incorrectly reported that trading in binary options is forbidden under gaming law.

It is the responsibility of the individual account holder to ensure all activity associated with their account complies with both the terms and conditions of their chosen broker, as well as with local financial law overseeing the movement of currency and financial activity. Therefore, the intelligent Indian investor will aim to mitigate any risk and search for a binary options broker who is regulated under an international financial authority – and not a gambling commission.

Withdrawing and Depositing Funds

Indian binary options traders are unlikely to experience many additional challenges from international brokers when they attempt to open an account, or deposit or withdraw funds. Almost every brokerage operating online today provides their account holders with multiple transactional channels. These options range from direct bank and money transfer, to major credit and debit cards, and a large number of digital and e-cash solutions.

With its active entrepreneurial and commercial sector, India is well catered for when it comes to remote payment solutions and mobile, app-based cash transactions. As such, Indian investors are well positioned to fund any trading account.

It is common practice for brokers to permit cash withdrawals only through the payment method used to complete the initial deposit. This is considered the safest way to ensure binary options trading accounts are not used as part of a money laundering operation. However, this limitation on the movement of earnings should be considered before completing a deposit.

Investors domiciled within India must also consider local law, and ensure that all transactions into and out of an overseas brokerage is compliant with FEMA law. India has imposed strict controls on the movement of money in recent years, and it is the client’s own responsibility to ensure that all of their financial activities remain in accordance with Indian state laws.

How To Invest in Binary Options in India

Binary options are a complex financial instrument, defined as a derivative contract by financial authorities. The term “binary option” refers to the fact that there are only two potential outcomes on every trade.

Usually, binary options are speculative trades made against the movement in value of a specific index, commodity, or foreign exchange (FX) currency pairing. This is known as the underlying asset. The client never invests in the underlying asset itself, but forms a contract with the broker, or market maker, predicting the movement or end status of the asset after a stated period of time. For instance, the client may stipulate that the asset rises above a specific price at least once in the contract’s duration. Alternatively, the client may speculate that the value remains within the spread of two specified points.

If the client makes an accurate prediction, they earn a return on their investment, or “trading bonus”. If the client invested incorrectly, they lose the value of their initial deposit.

Binary options trading is well suited to online investment, where contracts with a short duration can be executed in real-time, and resolved within the space of only a few minutes – or even seconds.

Additionally, most modern trading platforms will provide their account-holders with a range of advanced features which make trading a safer, more profitable venture. Some Indian binary options brokers allow their clients to trade on a wealth of asset classes and types. Others will furnish new members with a dummy account, and allow them to execute practice trades with virtual money, until they are familiar with the service. Other popular features include earnings bonuses, stop-loss and call options that allow experienced investors to lock-in earnings or minimise losses, and online tutorials and consultations with expert investors.

Every brokerage creates its own value offering for clients, and it is often these additional benefits that inform the final decision of which platform to use, for many investors.

Binary Options India: In Summary

The binary options trading market in India is currently one of the more challenging regions for the industry to succeed in. But it is also one which seems assured of enormous growth and a rapid up-take of new clients and investors – once local authorities begin updating their knowledge base and regulatory framework.

As such, it is currently unviable for any Indian brokers to operate within the region, and international competitors dominate the marketplace. While it would seem likely that a change to this current situation will arrive sooner rather than later, it places an additional level of liability on the part of the investor. It also has a negative impact on many practical factors: such as the lack of Indian language options on many of the top sites.

Despite this, there is a burgeoning binary options industry in India, and a relatively high volume of active traders within the country. For many Indian citizens, binary options trading represents a naturally appealing form of investment. It allows clients to unlock earnings quickly, requires a low initial stake for entry, and allows freedom of access to a wide number of lucrative international money markets. The fact that current legislation is poorly suited to the regulation of international binary options trading is unlikely to dissuade smart and experienced traders within the region from taking advantage of this potentially valuable form of investment.

Binary Trading in India: at a glance

• Trade on international investment platforms
• Purchase binary options contracts in markets and indices that are otherwise inaccessible to Indian investors
• Overseas brokers are protected by local laws; cash transactions are safeguarded by Indian regulatory authorities
• A fast and accessible way to trade in real time across the internet
• Experienced investors can earn significant returns on their investments.