Visit FxPro
Swissquote in South Africa — review, licence and costs
Score (6 of 6 axes scored)
ranked against full-basis brokers
- Reviews25%50
- Round-turn cost20%45
- Safety20%0
- Payouts15%80
- Track record10%100
- Platforms10%65
Numbered by weight: axis 1 counts for most.
Key facts (6 facts)
- Onboarding entity
- Swissquote Bank Ltd
- Founded
- 1996
- Retail leverage
- 100ZA
- Round turn
- 16 USDZA
- Currencies
- Multi-currency (USD, EUR, CHF); no ZAR base account.
- Swap-free account
- yes
Licence check
Open an account with SwissquoteThe broker's own website. Not a partner link — we earn nothing from it.
Who actually onboards you
- Entity that onboards South Africa residents
- Swissquote Bank Ltd
- Local standing
- Offshore; not FSCA-regulated. Accepts South African residents.
- Licence as the register states it
- No FSCA licence; offshore FINMA-regulated Swiss bank.
- Leverage for this entity
- Up to 1:100 (retail).
- The firm behind it
- Swissquote Bank Ltd, Gland, Switzerland; FINMA Swiss bank, listed on SIX.
- What we hold against it
- Bank-grade, high min deposit; reputable but not on FSCA register, offshore for SA clients.
Leverage by entity
The licence belongs to the firm; a leverage figure belongs to one entity. Only the entity that onboards South African residents enters the score.
Scale from 1:10 to 1:3000, logarithmic.
Client protection
- Local entity onboards youOffshore; not FSCA-regulated. Accepts South African residents.
- Regulator warning on filenone found
— means the broker does not state it in any source we captured. It is not read as “no protection” and it is not scored.
Price against South Africa market median(priced from 80 of 103)
Medians run over the 80 of 103 brokers that publish a price for South Africa, never over the whole base. A spread without its commission is not a price and is not counted.
Accounts
Account types the broker names for this country: Standard (min USD 1, 000), Premium (USD 10, 000), Prime (USD 50, 000). The figures below are the broker's own and do not differ by account in any source we captured.
Swap-free account terms
Terms read from the account page on 01.10.2026. The cap on open positions is not published.
Where Swissquote sits in the South Africa base(103 brokers)
Round-turn cost, USD (80 of 103 priced)
Median 7 USD · range 1-20 · this broker 16 USD · 23 of 103 brokers do not publish it
Minimum deposit, USD (49 of 103 priced)
Median 50 USD · range 0-1000 · this broker 1000 USD · 54 of 103 brokers do not publish it
Retail leverage (72 of 103 with a South Africa figure)
Median 1:500 · range 20-5000 · this broker 1:100 · 31 of 103 brokers do not publish it
Withdrawal time published (103 brokers)
Payouts(2 methods)
| Method | Deposit, h | Fee, USD | Min, USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| International bank wire | 24 | 0 | 50 |
| Cards | 24 | 0 | 50 |
Deposit and withdrawal methods (2 methods · 0 local rails)
International bank wire, cards;
- International bank wire
- Cards
- Account currency
- Multi-currency (USD, EUR, CHF); no ZAR base account.
- Fee declared
- 2 of 2 methods
- Withdrawal back to
- the funding method
Where it does not serve(2 countries)
From the client agreement, clause 2.3. A country missing from a translated page is not read as “served”.
Platforms and markets(4 platforms)
- Advanced Trader
- MT4
- MT5
| Class | Count | Min spread |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Trader | — | 1.7 |
| MT4 | — | 1.7 |
| MT5 | — | 1.7 |
| Forex pairs | 130+ | — |
184 further account types are named by their brokers but publish none of these figures, so they are not in the comparison: IC Markets Raw Spread MT4/MT5, IC Markets Raw Spread cTrader, Eightcap Standard, Eightcap Raw, Fusion Markets Classic account, Pepperstone Standard and 178 more.
Identical for every row: Leverage 100 ZA.
Reviews(1 platform · 25% of the score)
| Snapshot | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| 02.10.2026 | 4.0 | 1,323 |
Share of reviewers in South Africa: — The platform does not publish it.
Pros and cons(4 for and 4 against, each tied to a figure on this page)
- Withdrawal in 24 h, one of 86 of 103 brokers here that publish a time
- Swap-free account available
- Track record 100 of 100, its strongest of 6 scored axes
- 3 platforms: Advanced Trader, MT4, MT5
- Round turn 16 USD on the raw + commission basis, over the South Africa median 7
- No South Africa authorisation on file: the entity that onboards you is licensed elsewhere
- Min deposit 1000 USD, over the South Africa median 50
- Safety 0 of 100, its weakest of 6 scored axes
Alternatives in South Africa(6 of 103 scored in South Africa)
- Round turn, USD
- 15ZA
- Min deposit, USD
- 50 groupZA
- Leverage
- 500ZA
- Rank in this country
- #50
- Round turn, USD
- 18ZA
- Min deposit, USD
- 50ZA
- Leverage
- 1000ZA
- Rank in this country
- #51
- Round turn, USD
- 8ZA
- Min deposit, USD
- 500ZA
- Leverage
- 500ZA
- Rank in this country
- #61
- Round turn, USD
- 10ZA
- Min deposit, USD
- 10 groupZA
- Leverage
- 2000 group
- Rank in this country
- #64
- Round turn, USD
- 18ZA
- Min deposit, USD
- 50 groupZA
- Leverage
- 1000ZA
- Rank in this country
- #65
- Round turn, USD
- 12ZA
- Min deposit, USD
- 500 groupZA
- Leverage
- 400ZA
- Rank in this country
- #39
"group" marks a figure the broker publishes for the group rather than for this country. It is shown because the broker states it, and it is not ranked, averaged or used to sort.
Methodology(6 axes · formula v1.0)
Score = 2 + 3 × weighted mean of six axes scored 0–100. Range 2.0–5.0. An axis without data drops out and the remaining weights are renormalised; it is never scored zero or estimated. Group-wide figures never enter a South Africa score. Full methodology
| Axis | Weight | What is measured | Swissquote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 25% | Rating, volume and recency on one public review platform | 50 |
| Round-turn cost | 20% | Round turn on 1 lot EURUSD: spread plus commission, against the country median | 45 |
| Safety | 20% | Local authorisation, the entity that onboards you, any regulator warning | 0 |
| Payouts | 15% | Published withdrawal time, fees and the methods available in the country | 80 |
| Track record | 10% | Years since the firm was founded, from its own filings | 100 |
| Platforms | 10% | Which trading platforms the broker confirms for this country | 65 |
FAQ
- Does Swissquote accept residents of South Africa?
- No. Offshore; not FSCA-regulated. Accepts South African residents. Onboarding entity: Swissquote Bank Ltd
- Is Swissquote licensed to serve clients in South Africa?
- No FSCA licence; offshore FINMA-regulated Swiss bank. Checked on 09.07.2026.
- How much does one round turn cost at Swissquote?
- About 16.0 USD per standard lot on EUR/USD. The median across brokers measured for South Africa is 7.0 USD.
- What leverage does Swissquote offer to retail clients in South Africa?
- Up to 1:100. Up to 1:100 (retail)
- Which trading platforms does Swissquote support?
- Advanced Trader, MT4, MT5. Instruments: FX, CFDs, stocks, ETFs, crypto, bonds.
- How can I withdraw money from Swissquote in South Africa?
- International bank wire, cards; no local South African rails.
- What account types does Swissquote offer?
- Standard (min USD 1,000), Premium (USD 10,000), Prime (USD 50,000).
- Does Swissquote offer a swap-free (Islamic) account?
- Yes. Swissquote offers a swap-free (Islamic) account to South Africa residents.
Taxes for a South African resident(1 rule)
- SARS taxes residents on worldwide income.https://brokerchooser.com/swissquote-south-africa
Not tax advice. Check with SARS.