Visit FxPro
XTB in South Africa — review, licence and costs
Score (6 of 6 axes scored)
ranked against full-basis brokers
- Reviews25%100
- Round-turn cost20%100
- Safety20%0
- Payouts15%40
- Track record10%100
- Platforms10%0
Numbered by weight: axis 1 counts for most.
Key facts (6 facts)
- Onboarding entity
- XTB International Limited
- Founded
- 2002
- Retail leverage
- 500ZA
- Round turn
- 1 USDZA
- Currencies
- Mainly USD, EUR, GBP; no ZAR account, so ZAR deposits incur conversion.
- Swap-free account
- yes
Licence check
Open an account with XTBThe broker's own website. Not a partner link — we earn nothing from it.
Who actually onboards you
- Entity that onboards South Africa residents
- XTB International Limited
- Local standing
- Contracting entity is offshore (Belize FSC); the local FSCA licence exists on paper but is not the client-facing entity, so no local statutory protection applies in practice.
- Licence as the register states it
- XTB International Limited holds a Belize FSC licence (No. 000302/316); XTB Africa (Pty) Ltd is FSCA-authorised (licensed 10 Aug 2021) but not used for onboarding.
- Leverage for this entity
- Offshore entity advertises up to 1:500 on forex; not capped by the FSCA for these clients.
- The firm behind it
- Founded 2002 (Warsaw), HQ Poland; WSE-listed (XTB) since 2016; ~1M+ clients globally.
- What we hold against it
- Holds an FSCA licence (rare among offshore rivals) but contracts SA clients via Belize entity, diluting local protection; publicly listed group is a plus.
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 youContracting entity is offshore (Belize FSC); the local FSCA licence exists on paper but is not the client-facing entity, so no local statutory protection applies in practice.
- 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 (commission-free, spread-only), Pro, Islamic swap-free available, no set minimum deposit. 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 XTB sits in the South Africa base(103 brokers)
Round-turn cost, USD (80 of 103 priced)
Median 7 USD · range 1-20 · this broker 1 USD · 23 of 103 brokers do not publish it
Minimum deposit, USD (49 of 103 priced)
Median 50 USD · range 0-1000 · this broker 0 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 · Fee, USD 0 · Min, USD 50.
Deposit and withdrawal methods (4 methods · 0 local rails)
Bank wire and Visa/Mastercard;
- Bank wire
- Visa
- Mastercard
- E-wallets vary
- Account currency
- Mainly USD, EUR, GBP; no ZAR account, so ZAR deposits incur conversion.
- Fee declared
- 4 of 4 methods
- Withdrawal back to
- the funding method
Where it does not serve(10 countries)
From the client agreement, clause 2.3. A country missing from a translated page is not read as “served”.
Platforms and markets(1 platform)
- xStation 5
| Class | Count | Min spread | Leverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| xStation 5 | — | 0.5 | 500ZA |
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.
Reviews(1 platform · 25% of the score)
| Snapshot | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| 02.10.2026 | 5 | — |
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)
- Round turn 1 USD on the raw + commission basis, under the South Africa median 7
- Min deposit 0 USD, under the South Africa median 50
- Swap-free account available
- Reviews 100 of 100, its strongest of 6 scored axes
- No South Africa authorisation on file: the entity that onboards you is licensed elsewhere
- Withdrawal in 72 h, over the South Africa median 24
- The published 1:500 comes from the group's offshore entity, not from the South Africa one
- Safety 0 of 100, its weakest of 6 scored axes
Alternatives in South Africa(6 of 103 scored in South Africa)
- Round turn, USD
- 1.5ZA
- Min deposit, USD
- 1 groupZA
- Leverage
- 500ZA
- Rank in this country
- #52
- Round turn, USD
- 2ZA
- Min deposit, USD
- 10 groupZA
- Leverage
- 400ZA
- Rank in this country
- #68
- Round turn, USD
- 5ZA
- Min deposit, USD
- 10ZA
- Leverage
- 500ZA
- Rank in this country
- #17
- Round turn, USD
- 4.2ZA
- Min deposit, USD
- 0 groupZA
- Leverage
- 200ZA
- Rank in this country
- #23
- Round turn, USD
- 4.5ZA
- Min deposit, USD
- 0ZA
- Leverage
- 500ZA
- Rank in this country
- #18
- Round turn, USD
- 6ZA
- Min deposit, USD
- 25ZA
- Leverage
- 500ZA
- Rank in this country
- #6
"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 | XTB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 25% | Rating, volume and recency on one public review platform | 100 |
| Round-turn cost | 20% | Round turn on 1 lot EURUSD: spread plus commission, against the country median | 100 |
| 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 | 40 |
| 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 | 0 |
FAQ
- Does XTB accept residents of South Africa?
- No. Contracting entity is offshore (Belize FSC); the local FSCA licence exists on paper but is not the client-facing entity, so no local statutory protection applies in practice. Onboarding entity: XTB International Limited
- Is XTB licensed to serve clients in South Africa?
- XTB International Limited holds a Belize FSC licence (No. 000302/316); XTB Africa (Pty) Ltd is FSCA-authorised (licensed 10 Aug 2021) but not used for onboarding. Checked on 09.07.2026.
- How much does one round turn cost at XTB?
- About 1.0 USD per standard lot on EUR/USD. The median across brokers measured for South Africa is 7.0 USD.
- What leverage does XTB offer to retail clients in South Africa?
- Up to 1:500. Offshore entity advertises up to 1:500 on forex; not capped by the FSCA for these clients.
- Which trading platforms does XTB support?
- xStation 5. Instruments: Forex, indices, commodities, stock and ETF CFDs, crypto CFDs (~1,900+); real unleveraged shares not offered here.
- How can I withdraw money from XTB in South Africa?
- Bank wire and Visa/Mastercard; e-wallets (Skrill) vary; local ZAR instant-EFT not verified at review.
- What account types does XTB offer?
- Standard (commission-free, spread-only) and Pro; Islamic swap-free available; no set minimum deposit.
- Does XTB offer a swap-free (Islamic) account?
- Yes. XTB 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://xtb.com/int/help-center/trading-account-2-1
Not tax advice. Check with SARS.