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ThinkMarkets in South Africa — review, licence and costs
Score (6 of 6 axes scored)
ranked against full-basis brokers
- Reviews25%50
- Round-turn cost20%90
- Safety20%90
- Payouts15%96.7
- Track record10%80
- Platforms10%50
Numbered by weight: axis 1 counts for most.
Key facts (6 facts)
- Onboarding entity
- Pty Ltd
- Founded
- 2010
- Retail leverage
- 500ZA
- Round turn
- 7 USDZA
- Currencies
- ZAR account supported, plus USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, CHF - so no forced conversion for rand deposits.
- Swap-free account
- yes
Licence check
Open an account with ThinkMarketsThe broker's own website. Not a partner link — we earn nothing from it.
Who actually onboards you
- Entity that onboards South Africa residents
- Pty Ltd
- Local standing
- Locally regulated by the FSCA (FSP 49835), with segregated client funds in top-tier SA banks; a positive vs offshore-only rivals.
- Licence as the register states it
- TF Global Markets (SA) Pty Ltd is FSCA-authorised, FSP No. 49835; a real domestic licence rather than offshore-only.
- Leverage for this entity
- Up to 1:500 on forex under the FSCA entity; not further capped locally.
- The firm behind it
- Founded 2010 (TF Global Markets group), HQ London/Melbourne; multi-regulated CFD/forex broker.
- What we hold against it
- Locally FSCA-regulated (strong point); caveat is a reported volume of withdrawal complaints group-wide.
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 youLocally regulated by the FSCA (FSP 49835), with segregated client funds in top-tier SA banks; a positive vs offshore-only rivals.
- 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 from ~USD 50 / low), ThinkZero (raw + commission), ThinkTrader account, ZAR accounts supported. 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 ThinkMarkets sits in the South Africa base(103 brokers)
Round-turn cost, USD (80 of 103 priced)
Median 7 USD · range 1-20 · this broker 7 USD · 23 of 103 brokers do not publish it
Minimum deposit, USD (49 of 103 priced)
Median 50 USD · range 0-1000 · this broker 50 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 1:500 · 31 of 103 brokers do not publish it
Withdrawal time published (103 brokers)
Payouts
Identical for every row: Deposit, h 24 · Withdrawal, h 4 · Fee, USD 0 · Min, USD 50.
Deposit and withdrawal methods (6 methods · 0 local rails)
Local SA bank transfer/EFT supported, plus Visa/Mastercard, Skrill, Neteller;
- Local SA bank transfer
- Visa
- Mastercard
- Skrill
- Neteller
- Free bank-wire deposits
- Account currency
- ZAR account supported, plus USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, CHF - so no forced conversion for rand deposits.
- Fee declared
- 6 of 6 methods
- Withdrawal back to
- the funding method
Where it does not serve(12 countries)
From the client agreement, clause 2.3. A country missing from a translated page is not read as “served”.
Platforms and markets(5 platforms)
- MT4
- MT5
- ThinkTrader
- TradingView
| Class | Count | Min spread |
|---|---|---|
| MT4 | — | 0.4 |
| MT5 | — | 0.4 |
| ThinkTrader | — | 0.4 |
| TradingView | — | 0.4 |
| All instruments | 4000 | — |
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 500 ZA.
Reviews(1 platform · 25% of the score)
| Snapshot | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| 02.10.2026 | 4.0 | 1,592 |
Share of reviewers in South Africa: — The platform does not publish it.
Pros and cons(5 for and 1 against, each tied to a figure on this page)
- Locally authorised, licence 49835, read on 09.07.2026
- Withdrawal in 4 h, one of 86 of 103 brokers here that publish a time
- Swap-free account available
- Payouts 97 of 100, its strongest of 6 scored axes
- 4 platforms: MT4, MT5, ThinkTrader, TradingView
- Reviews 50 of 100, its weakest of 6 scored axes
Alternatives in South Africa(6 of 103 scored in South Africa)
- Round turn, USD
- 9ZA
- Min deposit, USD
- 25ZA
- Leverage
- 1000ZA
- Rank in this country
- #1
- Round turn, USD
- 6ZA
- Min deposit, USD
- 50 groupZA
- Leverage
- 500 group
- Rank in this country
- #4
- Round turn, USD
- 6ZA
- Min deposit, USD
- 25ZA
- Leverage
- 500ZA
- Rank in this country
- #6
- Round turn, USD
- 7ZA
- Min deposit, USD
- 50ZA
- Leverage
- 1000ZA
- Rank in this country
- #25
- Round turn, USD
- 6ZA
- Min deposit, USD
- 0 groupZA
- Leverage
- 2000ZA
- Rank in this country
- #3
- Round turn, USD
- 1ZA
- Min deposit, USD
- 0ZA
- Leverage
- 500ZA
- Rank in this country
- #38
"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 | ThinkMarkets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 90 |
| Safety | 20% | Local authorisation, the entity that onboards you, any regulator warning | 90 |
| Payouts | 15% | Published withdrawal time, fees and the methods available in the country | 97 |
| Track record | 10% | Years since the firm was founded, from its own filings | 80 |
| Platforms | 10% | Which trading platforms the broker confirms for this country | 50 |
FAQ
- Does ThinkMarkets accept residents of South Africa?
- Yes. Locally regulated by the FSCA (FSP 49835), with segregated client funds in top-tier SA banks; a positive vs offshore-only rivals. Onboarding entity: Pty Ltd
- Is ThinkMarkets licensed to serve clients in South Africa?
- TF Global Markets (SA) Pty Ltd is FSCA-authorised, FSP No. 49835; a real domestic licence rather than offshore-only. Checked on 09.07.2026.
- How much does one round turn cost at ThinkMarkets?
- About 7.0 USD per standard lot on EUR/USD. The median across brokers measured for South Africa is 7.0 USD.
- What leverage does ThinkMarkets offer to retail clients in South Africa?
- Up to 1:500. Up to 1:500 on forex under the FSCA entity; not further capped locally.
- Which trading platforms does ThinkMarkets support?
- MT4, MT5, ThinkTrader, TradingView. Instruments: 40+ forex pairs, 17 index CFDs, metals/energies, 1,500+ share CFDs, 20+ crypto CFDs.
- How can I withdraw money from ThinkMarkets in South Africa?
- Local SA bank transfer/EFT supported, plus Visa/Mastercard, Skrill, Neteller; free bank-wire deposits. Typical withdrawal time: 4.0 hours.
- What account types does ThinkMarkets offer?
- Standard (min from ~USD 50 / low), ThinkZero (raw + commission), ThinkTrader account; ZAR accounts supported.
- Does ThinkMarkets offer a swap-free (Islamic) account?
- Yes. ThinkMarkets 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://thinkmarkets.com
Not tax advice. Check with SARS.