Exness review
Details checked 27 Sept 2026. Always confirm current terms on the broker's site.
Our verdict
Exness is a high-volume offshore-focused CFD broker with very low measured gold spreads and flexible leverage. Retail clients are not covered by a Tier-1 regulator or a compensation scheme.
Exness was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Limassol, Cyprus. It is one of the largest retail brokers by trading volume and is particularly popular with gold traders. Its FCA and CySEC entities accept professional clients only, so retail traders are served through entities in the Seychelles, Mauritius, the British Virgin Islands, South Africa and Kenya. That means strong operational scale but no Tier-1 retail oversight and no investor compensation scheme. On cost, BrokerChooser measured an XAUUSD spread of $0.04 in September 2026, and Exness publishes a gold commission of $3.50 per lot per side on Raw Spread accounts and $5.50 on Zero accounts. Standard, Standard Cent and Pro accounts are spread-only. Gold leverage runs from 1:200 to 1:1000 depending on margin tier and can be set higher for eligible accounts, which increases risk considerably. Trading is on MT4, MT5 and Exness's own terminal and app, from 0.01 lots, with a $10 minimum deposit on Standard accounts. Negative balance protection applies to all accounts and swap-free options are common. Exness is on the RBI Alert List, and FxScouts reports it stopped accepting new Indian clients from July 2025.
Pros
- Very tight measured gold spread ($0.04 in BrokerChooser's 2026 benchmark)
- Clearly published raw-account commissions for XAUUSD
- Low $10 minimum deposit and cent account for small position testing
- Fast, fee-free deposits and withdrawals
- Swap-free options widely available
Cons
- Retail clients are served only by offshore entities; no investor compensation
- Extremely high or 'unlimited' leverage on gold can magnify losses quickly
- Reported to have stopped onboarding new Indian clients in 2025
- No cTrader or TradingView-native trading
- Listed on the RBI Alert List
Key facts
| Founded | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Limassol, Cyprus |
| Regulators | FCA (Exness (UK) Ltd - professional clients only) (Tier-1); CySEC (Exness (Cy) Ltd - professional clients only) (Tier-1); FSCA South Africa; FSA Seychelles; FSC Mauritius; FSC BVI; CMA Kenya |
| Gold (XAUUSD) available | Yes |
| Gold spread, standard account | not published on official page (spreads shown as previous-day averages in calculator) |
| Gold spread, raw/ECN account | $0.04 per BrokerChooser XAU/USD spread benchmark, updated 17 Sep 2026, in USD per ounce (account type not stated); Raw Spread/Zero accounts quote near-zero spreads plus commission |
| Commission, raw account | Raw Spread: $3.50 per lot per side; Zero: $5.50 per lot per side (official help centre) |
| Max gold leverage (offshore entity) | 1:200 to 1:1000 standard margin tiers; 'unlimited' if eligible (official help centre) |
| Max gold leverage (Tier-1 entity) | Not applicable - FCA/CySEC entities do not serve retail clients |
| Minimum trade size | 0.01 lot (max 200 lots) |
| Platforms | MT4, MT5, Exness Terminal (web), Exness Trade app |
| Minimum deposit | $10 |
| Account types | Standard, Standard Cent, Pro, Raw Spread, Zero, Swap-free (Islamic) variants |
| Indian deposit methods | UPI/IMPS reported by BrokerAnalysis (availability varies); FxScouts reports Exness stopped accepting new Indian clients from July 2025 |
| Accepts clients from India | No for new clients (per FxScouts India, Sep 2026); existing clients reportedly continue |
| Negative balance protection | Yes, all account types |
| Segregated client funds | Yes |
| Investor compensation | None for retail clients (EU/UK entities accept professionals only) |
| Swap-free account | Yes |
| On RBI Alert List | Yes: 2025-11-19 (latest RBI update found; checked 2026-09-27) |
Member reviews
Sources used for this review
- exness.com/commodities/xauusd/
- get.exness.help/hc/en-us/articles/17854173039388-Commodities
- brokerchooser.com/broker-reviews/exness-review
- brokerchooser.com/broker-reviews/exness-review/xauusd-spread
- fxscouts.com/in/broker/exness/
- brokeranalysis.com/best-forex-brokers-india/
- fxscouts.com/forex-brokers/best-gold-trading-brokers/
- upstox.com/news/personal-finance/trading/rbi-alert-list-updated-full-list-of-unauthorised-
- completetradersedge.com/rbi-alert-list/
- au.bank.in/hi/hi/assets/banner-text-table/pdf/unauthorised-forex-transactions.pdf
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