UK Binary Options Brokers

Trading in the financial markets is becoming an ever more popular pastime, for both experienced investors and amateurs who enjoy a flutter. Binary options is one of the industry’s newer markets – it has only been active since 2008 when this innovative type of online trading was first approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

UK Binary options can be an extremely profitable way of speculating on the markets, but how can traders tell which platforms to trust with their money, in a particularly fast paced environment, where newcomers are always emerging? Three key factors to bear in mind are; firstly, whether the broker is regulated, this will often be by CySEC, the Cypress and Securities Exchange Commission, secondly, the quality of their trading interface and thirdly, the level of their customer service. Here’s a list of ten UK binary options brokers which deliver a reliable trading experience and offer much more besides:

Best Binary Brokers for the UK

Recommended Broker: IQ Option

One of the most popular UK brokers for beginners, IQ Option is a fully regulated platform with a flexible approach to trading. You can open an account with just £10 and the minimum investment is just £1, a very low set of requirements in comparison to most of the industry. You won’t find any gimmicks here, just straightforward coverage of over 100 types of underlying asset, including currency pairs, stocks, commodities and indices. The trading interface was created by financial software experts, along with a team of traders who provided suggestions regarding navigation, and accessibility for all levels of investor. There’s only one type of trading account at IQ Option, but if you’d prefer to try before you buy, you can request a demo account to get you started. Customer support is provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week and you can get in touch via phone or email for assistance.

Recommended Broker: Binary.com

Binary.com was established back in 2008 and is regulated in the UK and Japan, and also by the Malta Gaming Authority. They offer a range of unique options and the trading interface is packed with helpful tools, like real-time graphs and candlestick charts to provide an indication of how the various underlying assets are moving. You can start by opening a demo account, if you’d prefer to get settled in before you start spending money, or make a low deposit of £10 in order to open a full account. To give UK binary options traders a head start, Binary.com have a wealth of educational materials, along with scheduled webinars where members can listen to a talk on a particular subject, then pose questions. At Binary.com you can place a wager on five different basic options, rise/fall, higher/lower, touch/no touch, one touch and boundary options. There are also more advanced range options, for people who have a little more experience and want to test their skills.

Recommended Broker: Ayrex

Based in the Caribbean nation of St Kitts and Nevis, Ayrex or Advanced Binary Technologies Ltd as it’s also known, is a broker that was formed in 2014. There’s a free demo account for newcomers, bonuses of up to 30% when you choose to open an account and a trading platform that was developed especially for them. The interface will suit people who enjoy short term trades and expect things to move fast, the short term option expiries start from 30 seconds and go up to five minutes. For high/low trades you can choose between 15 minutes and one hour, but there are no drawn out daily or weekly trades here. As for underlying assets, there are indices, commodities and forex pairs, but as yet, they don’t offer stocks.

Recommended Broker: EZTrader

Launched way back in 2008, EZTrader were part of the first wave of UK binary options brokers. Now located in Cypress, they are regulated by CySEC and maintain a unique trading platform. As the interface was built just for this UK broker, you’ll find it perfectly suited to their offerings, it’s fast, simple to use and well laid out. From the desktop version or the mobile app, you can enjoy a wide range of options including daily/weekly trades, long term binaries, sell options, where you can cash in a good position, and the traditional up/down trades. Although EZTrader specialise in stocks, they have a wide selection of underlying assets drawn from indices, forex and commodities. For many years EZTrader have been linked with football and other major sports; they have sponsorship deals with Tottenham Hotspur, Wimbledon and the Grand National. As a result, they often run competitions where traders can win merchandise or tickets for certain events.

Recommended Broker AnyOption

Another seasoned binary broker, AnyOption started out in 2009 with an uncomplicated online platform, and they’ve stuck with that formula ever since. The website can be navigated by even the most inexperienced of investors and they provide a helpful set of instructions to get people started. In this respect AnyOption do seem more targeted at newcomers, but a glance at the huge number of assets available – more than 140 – could also appeal to more professional speculators. Choose from forex, stocks, commodities and index options, and you could win returns of up to 71%, or 15% of your initial deposit if your trade is unsuccessful. AnyOption are a UK binary options broker which are regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission. 24 hour live support for account holders is provided via the website. If you enjoy trading on the go, you can choose to opt-in for text messages which give you updates on how your trades have fared.

Recommended Broker BDSwiss

Initially launched as Banc de Swiss, in 2012, BDSwiss is owned by Keplero Holdings LTD and is primarily focussed on the German market, although the website is available in nine different languages, including English. To safeguard their customer’s interests this UK binary options company are regulated by CySEC. Their interface is provided by the trading software experts at SpotOption, it’s not a complex system to get used to and for those who prefer a challenge, there’s a Pro Trader mode which opens up more indicators and tools for investors to use.

Investments start from a surprisingly low £1 and there are 250 underlying assets, drawn from stocks, currency pairs, commodities and indices. Trading takes place in six different formats, with expiries ranging from one minute, to a number of weeks. If you need help with any aspect of the site or your account, you can contact the BDSwiss multilingual customer services department from 9am to 11.30pm, by phone, through live chat or on email.

Recommended Broker 24option.com

Established in 2010, 24option are based in Cypress and regulated by CySEC. They have a bold looking platform with gold and black branding, and celebrity endorsement from ex-tennis player Boris Becker. When it comes to assets, you’ll have plenty of choice at this UK broker as they have more than 120 on offer, made up of currencies, indices, stocks and commodities. The platform runs on TechFinancials software, a popular name in the financial world. It’s intuitive, free from the kind of unpopular elements which can clutter a page and has a selection of charts that are updated using information from Reuters in real-time.

Traders can experiment with time specific or asset specific investments, along with short or long term options. Payouts can reach 89% on longer trades, but unusually even on a 60 second option this broker pays out at 70%. 24option has live chat, phone, and email support for customers with queries.

Recommended Broker 10trade

10trade has been online since 2014 and like most of the other top ten UK binary options brokers, it is licensed by CySEC. The platform is focused on the forex market, but has a full range of over 100 underlying assets drawn from commodities, indices, stocks and currencies. Expiration times start at 60 seconds, and along with the familiar one touch options, there are ladder and long term choices to keep professional investors interested.

The interface is extremely user-friendly, with regular updates from Reuters in a ribbon across the screen and risk management tools like the investment return policy, for people who lose out when making a trade. The education centre is highly accessible, with information presented in a number of formats to suit every learning style, and level of investor. When you need to get in touch, the 10trade helpdesk is open during normal UK office hours for phone or email queries, and they also have a live chat feature.

Recommended Broker uBinary

Founded in 2011 and based in the UK, uBinary is owned by the PTT Capital Group which brings its fifty year experience to the platform. The interface is provided by ParagonEX, which is only used by uBinary at the moment and gives the site a bespoke look and feel. You can log in to an account at any time, providing you have internet access, and there’s also an app for traders who like to keep mobile. The 74 assets at uBinary are varied between stocks, commodities, indices and currencies; it’s not a huge amount but the most popular UK binary options stocks, like Google, Apple and Facebook, and currency pairs, like EUR/USD, are all present. The pay outs can reach an impressive 95% here, using high/low trading instruments and short term, long term, or option builder investments. Customer care is excellent, boasting a six day live chat service, along with email and phone support.

Recommended Broker CMC Markets

A UK broker that was launched online in 2009, CMC Markets has an impressive history that actually dates back to 1989. They provide the chance to trade on numerous products, including 320 currency pairs, and risk management is delivered through guaranteed stop loss orders, which you can opt in to if you wish. The platform itself is designed for ease of use, but includes a variety of tools and charts to give traders the best possible chance of predicting the performance of an asset. Regulated by the Gambling Commission of the UK, CMC Markets also have a demo account to support new traders and a learning academy with videos, social networking, written guides and webinars on UK binary options. To get advice from a member of their customer care team, you can contact them by phone or email during UK office hours.