What is Tickmill? A Tickmill review: legal entity, accounts, fees, deposits and withdrawals

Tickmill is a brand of Tickmill Group, a CFD broker with licensed subsidiaries in the UK, Cyprus, Seychelles and South Africa. This review was written in 2023 and rewritten in full on Sep 14, 2026 from the Tickmill website (the international version), the Client Services Agreement of Tickmill Ltd (the May 2026 version) and the documents the broker publishes.

Many people judge a broker by its advertising or its awards. The questions that matter more are: which company holds your account, which authority licenses that company, how far your money is protected, and what rights the agreement gives the broker. This article follows exactly those questions.

How to choose a safe Forex broker

Quick summary (Sep 14, 2026):

• The Tickmill website shown to international clients gives Tickmill as the trading name of Tickmill Ltd, a company in Seychelles licensed by FSA Seychelles as a securities dealer under number SD008. The UK (FSCS) and EU (ICF) compensation schemes do not apply to clients of this company.
• Accounts for MT4/MT5: Classic (spread from 1.6 pips, no commission) and Raw (spread from 0.0 pips, commission 3 USD per lot per side); minimum deposit 100 USD; margin call 100%, stop out 30%.
• Leverage up to 1:1000, and it is dynamic: the larger the position, the lower the leverage.
• Deposits and withdrawals go through bank wire, cards, Skrill, Neteller, Crypto Payments and UnionPay; the broker processes payments in USD, EUR, GBP and ZAR only, and some methods are open only to residents of certain countries.
• In Vietnam, trading Forex through a foreign broker is not protected by law.

An overview of Tickmill

According to the “Why Tickmill” page, as of Aug 2026 the group as a whole had more than 1,350,000 registered accounts, an average of 16 million trades a month and more than 330 staff. Tickmill offers CFDs on more than 180 instruments: 62 currency pairs, stock indices, commodities (metals, energies, agricultural products), bonds, cryptocurrencies and shares. The broker advertises an average execution speed of 0.15 seconds, allows every trading strategy (EAs, hedging, scalping) and claims more than 60 awards.

The international Tickmill website comes in several languages, including the deposit and withdrawal pages, the FAQ and the legal documents. Awards and growth figures are marketing material published by the broker itself; they tell you nothing about how far your money is protected. You can look at the Tickmill website and client area for yourself through the Tickmill sign-up link.

The legal entities and licenses of Tickmill

From the Tickmill Licenses & Regulation page on Sep 14, 2026:

The 2023 version of this article also listed Tickmill Asia Ltd, licensed by Labuan FSA (Malaysia); that company is no longer on the current licenses page.

Which company do you open an account with?

The Tickmill client area asks you to pick the company that will hold your account according to your country of residence when you sign up. The website shown to international clients gives Tickmill as the trading name of Tickmill Ltd, and the legal documents on that site (the Client Services Agreement, the complaints procedure) are issued by Tickmill Ltd Seychelles. So an international client most likely opens an account with Tickmill Ltd. Read the name of the company in the entity selection step when you sign up, and in the agreement.

What follows from that in practice:

• FSA Seychelles is the regulator of an offshore financial center, with requirements far lighter than those of the FCA or CySEC. Even so, this is a real brokerage license, which is not the same thing as a mere company registration.
• The compensation funds do not apply. According to the licenses page, clients of Tickmill UK Ltd are protected by the FSCS up to 120,000 pounds sterling per person, and clients of Tickmill Europe Ltd are covered by the Cyprus Investor Compensation Fund, which pays 90% of the eligible claim up to a maximum of 20,000 EUR. Neither scheme applies to clients of Tickmill Ltd.
• Complaints: under the complaints procedure (the Jul 2026 version), you have to notify the broker within 2 business days of the event; a formal complaint goes on a complaint form to compliance@tickmill.com. Under the Client Services Agreement, Tickmill has 7 business days to reply; if you do not accept the outcome, you can take the matter to FSA Seychelles.

A license is a necessary condition; it is no guarantee that you will not lose money when you trade.

How Tickmill protects client money

From the Fund Safety page and the documents Tickmill publishes:

• Segregated accounts: client money is held in separate bank accounts, kept apart from the operating funds of the company.
• Negative balance protection: the website states that you will not lose more than the account balance — the money you have deposited; if the account goes negative because the market moves, the broker brings it back to zero.
• Insolvency insurance: the insurance confirmation certificate (an Excess of Loss Policy) for Tickmill Limited, underwritten by ARCH 2012 at Lloyd’s of London, runs from Sep 1, 2026 to Aug 31, 2027 and pays eligible clients if the company becomes insolvent, up to a maximum of 1,000,000 USD per person. The certificate gives a retention of at least 20,000 USD per person, meaning that the first part of any loss, up to that amount, is not paid by this insurance; the website describes it as insurance “from 20,000 to 1,000,000 USD”. The insurance also depends on the terms, the exclusions and the obligations of the insurance contract.

On a small account, under 20,000 USD, the layer of protection that actually applies is mostly the segregated account and the compliance of the broker with the requirements of FSA Seychelles.

The account types

At the time of this update, Tickmill has two account types for MT4 and MT5, plus a Raw account for Tickmill Trader and TradingView. The Pro and VIP accounts named in the 2023 version of this article are no longer on the account overview page.

What the individual account pages give as common to all of them: a Hybrid execution model, market execution, and EAs, hedging and scalping allowed. The minimum deposit can differ by base currency.

A few points to know:

• Raw commission: on 1 lot of EUR/USD the commission is 3 USD to open and 3 USD to close, 6 USD in total. The Raw account lets you place pending orders and stop losses right next to the market price (the minimum distance is zero).
• How many accounts: according to the FAQ, each client may have at most 7 live trading accounts across TradingView, MT4, MT5 and Tickmill Trader. When you open a live Tickmill Trader account, a demo account is created alongside it; TradingView is logged into with your Tickmill Trader account details.
• The Islamic (swap-free) account: a Classic or Raw account can be converted to Islamic; after a set number of free days, some instruments may be charged a handling fee. Buy positions in cryptocurrencies are charged swap at 10% a year after 5 days. The Islamic page gives margin call/stop out as 100%/50%, which differs from the 30% on the Classic and Raw pages.
• The 30 USD welcome account: Tickmill runs a welcome account program; each client may have only one account of this kind. Read the program terms before you join.

A step-by-step guide to signing up: How to open a Tickmill account.

Leverage and trading costs

Dynamic leverage up to 1:1000

According to the Dynamic Leverage page and clause 8.4 of the Client Services Agreement, Tickmill uses dynamic leverage with a base ratio of 1:1000: a small position gets high leverage, and the larger the position, the lower the leverage. Dynamic leverage applies only on MT5 and Tickmill Trader, and only to some instruments; MT4 and the other instruments use fixed leverage.

Maximum leverage by product group (the Leverage and margin table on Sep 14, 2026):

Leverage of 1:1000 means that a move of about 0.1% against you is enough for a position that uses the whole of its leverage to lose all of its margin. Tickmill also states that leverage ratios may be adjusted according to market conditions. See the IBFX guide on what leverage is and how much of it to use.

Trading costs

• Spread and commission: Classic charges the spread only (from 1.6 pips); Raw has a spread from 0.0 pips plus the commission in the table above. The Spreads and swaps page carries the minimum spread, the typical spread and the swap for every instrument, so look at it before you trade.
• Swap: a position held overnight is charged or credited swap; a buy position in cryptocurrencies is charged 10% a year, and new cryptocurrency positions on MT4/MT5 are swap-free for the first 5 days.
• Deposit and withdrawal fees: Tickmill charges nothing to deposit or to withdraw; an intermediary bank or an e-wallet may charge its own fee. On a single international bank transfer deposit of 5,000 USD or more, the broker refunds the bank fee up to 100 USD if you send the paperwork.
• Inactive accounts: under clause 6.12 of the Client Services Agreement, a trading account with no trade, deposit, withdrawal or login for 60 days and a balance of 50 USD or less is archived and the money moved to the wallet. A client area with no activity for 12 months and 10 days and a balance of 50 USD or less is moved to “Dormant” status and charged 10 USD per quarter; if the wallet balance is 10 USD or less, the broker removes what is left of it.

How to measure your real cost yourself: see the IBFX guides on what a spread is and on what a swap is.

Trading platforms

• MetaTrader 4: builds for Windows, Mac, the browser (MetaTrader WebTrader) and mobile. Fixed leverage only. See the IBFX guide on what MT4 is.
• MetaTrader 5: 21 timeframes, 38 built-in indicators and support for automated trading; it uses dynamic leverage on the instruments it applies to.
• Tickmill Trader: the platform Tickmill built itself, with a browser build (more than 80 indicators, market depth, a trading journal, preset stop loss and take profit) and a mobile app (more than 60 indicators, biometric login); more than 100 CFD instruments can be traded on it.
• TradingView: you trade on TradingView with a Tickmill Trader Raw account.
• The Tickmill app: open an account, deposit, withdraw, transfer money and trade in one app.

The 2023 version of this article said Tickmill had only MT4 and a FIX API connection for balances from 500,000 USD; the broker now has the wider set of platforms above.

Trading tools

From the Tools section of the Tickmill website:

• Signal Centre: market summaries and signals that come with a stop loss level and targets, supplied by a research firm regulated by the FCA, installed into MT4/MT5.
• Acuity trading tools: AI analysis of market sentiment from news and data, used on MT4/MT5.
• An advanced trading toolkit, an economic calendar, a corporate earnings calendar and Forex calculators.
• Tickmill Social Trading: copy trading with two roles, follower and strategy provider.
• A VPS (virtual private server) for running an EA around the clock.

The 2023 version of this article described Autochartist and a Myfxbook AutoTrade connection; neither service is in the current tools list. Signals and automated analysis should only be treated as information to consider; copying the trades of somebody else does not reduce risk.

Deposits and withdrawals

From the deposit and withdrawal pages (the international version) on Sep 14, 2026, re-read on Sep 23, 2026:

Tickmill processes deposit and withdrawal requests within 1 business day and charges nothing. Money is deposited into the wallet in the client area and then transferred to a trading account.

Rules to know:

• In your own name: every deposit has to come from an account, a card or a wallet in your own name; the broker does not accept third-party payments and may ask for card documents or evidence of the source of the funds.
• Withdraw back to the method you deposited from: a withdrawal up to the total amount you deposited by card has to go back to that card first, and only the profit above that amount can be withdrawn by another method. If you deposited by several methods, the money goes back to the card first, up to the amount deposited, and only then to the other method.
• Currency: a withdrawal is processed in the base currency of the wallet; if you receive it in another currency, your bank or e-wallet converts it itself and may charge a fee.

Sending money from a bank in Vietnam to fund an account at a foreign Forex broker may breach foreign exchange control rules, and the bank may refuse or hold the transfer. The steps in detail: How to deposit and withdraw money at Tickmill.

Customer support

• The support desk: open 24/5; email support@tickmill.com (a reply within 24 business hours); phone +852 5808 7849 from Monday to Friday, 7:00 – 16:00 GMT; Millie, the automated chat assistant, 24/7.
• Deposit and withdrawal questions: support from Monday to Friday, 07:00 – 20:00 GMT.
• A formal complaint: send the complaint form to compliance@tickmill.com.

The Contact page does not publish a separate phone number or email address per language.

The pros and cons of Tickmill

Pros

• The company that holds the accounts of international clients (Tickmill Ltd) has a brokerage license from FSA Seychelles, and the group has subsidiaries licensed by the FCA, CySEC and the FSCA.
• Low costs: Classic charges no commission; Raw has a spread from 0.0 pips and a commission of 3 USD per lot per side.
• There is insolvency insurance, up to 1,000,000 USD per client (with a retention of at least 20,000 USD).
• No deposit or withdrawal fee on the broker side, and for a single bank wire deposit of 5,000 USD or more the bank fees are reimbursed up to 100 USD.
• Several platforms: MT4, MT5, Tickmill Trader, TradingView and the Tickmill app; the website comes in several languages.

Cons

• FSA Seychelles is an offshore regulator; clients of Tickmill Ltd are protected neither by the FSCS nor by the Cyprus compensation fund.
• The minimum deposit is 100 USD, higher than at brokers that have a cent account.
• Only two account types for MT4/MT5; there is no longer a cent account or a VIP account.
• Leverage up to 1:1000, which is very risky for a beginner.
• There is a dormant account fee of 10 USD per quarter, and accounts with a small balance are archived after 60 days of inactivity.
• Some of the information on the website is inconsistent (stop out of 50% on the Islamic account against 30% elsewhere; insurance described as “from 20,000 USD” when that figure is the retention).

Frequently asked questions about Tickmill

Is Tickmill a scam? Can it be trusted?

Tickmill Group has subsidiaries licensed by the FCA, CySEC and the FSCA, publishes its legal documents and publishes an insurance confirmation certificate. International clients open an account with Tickmill Ltd, a company licensed by FSA Seychelles, so the level of protection is lower than for clients in the UK or the EU; and in Vietnam the law does not protect you in a dispute. Read the agreement, start with a small amount and try withdrawing part of it. Be wary of anyone who claims to work for the broker and offers managed accounts or asks you to transfer money to a personal account: see how to spot Forex scams.

Where is Tickmill licensed?

Tickmill Ltd: FSA Seychelles, SD008. Tickmill UK Ltd: FCA, 717270 (with a DFSA representative office, F007663). Tickmill Europe Ltd: CySEC, 278/15. Tickmill South Africa (Pty) Ltd: FSCA, FSP 49464.

How much is the minimum deposit?

100 USD for every account type (it can differ by base currency).

Is there a withdrawal fee, and how long does it take?

Tickmill charges no withdrawal fee; an intermediary bank or an e-wallet may charge one. The broker processes the request within 1 business day; the money arrives in 2 – 7 business days by international bank transfer, and in up to 8 business days back to a card.

Will an account I stop using be closed?

A trading account with a balance of 50 USD or less and no activity (no login, no trade, no deposit or withdrawal) is archived and the money moved to the wallet: an MT4/MT5 account after 60 days, a Tickmill Trader/TradingView account after 30 days (according to the Tickmill FAQ). You can still withdraw your money and open a new account. A client area with no activity for more than 12 months and a balance of 50 USD or less is moved to Dormant status and charged 10 USD per quarter. If you stop trading, withdraw all of your money.

Does Tickmill have a swap-free account?

Yes, a Classic or Raw account can be converted to Islamic; some instruments may still be charged a handling fee after a set number of free days, and a buy position in cryptocurrencies is charged 10% a year after 5 days.

Legal status in Vietnam

Whichever country a broker is licensed in, trading Forex through a foreign broker is not among the foreign-currency transactions permitted under Vietnamese law. It risks being treated as a breach of foreign exchange control rules, and in a dispute Vietnamese law does not protect you. See Is Forex trading legal in Vietnam?.

Conclusion

Tickmill has low costs, several platforms and a reasonably complete set of published legal documents. The point to remember above all: international clients open an account with Tickmill Ltd in Seychelles, which is licensed by FSA Seychelles but has none of the compensation schemes of the UK or the EU, and the insurance of the broker only pays the part of a loss above a retention of at least 20,000 USD.

If you have thought it through and want to try, open a demo account first, choose low leverage and deposit a small amount through the Tickmill account opening link, then follow the guide to opening an account and the guide to deposits and withdrawals.