FXOpen vs Exness 2026: Accounts, Deposits, Fees and UK Eligibility

FXOpen vs Exness is first an eligibility question, then a pricing comparison. For a UK resident looking for a new retail forex or CFD account, neither broker presents a straightforward current option. FXOpen UK's own website says that all client accounts are closed and new applications are not being accepted. Exness states that its UK and Cyprus firms do not serve retail clients, while its international legal information lists the United Kingdom among restricted jurisdictions. Historical spreads, leverage and deposit figures cannot override those restrictions. See FXOpen UK's account-closure notice, its application notice, and Exness's legal information.

FXOpen vs Exness at a glance

The table distinguishes current offers in different legal entities. It is not a claim that the international accounts are accessible in every country.

Which legal company would hold the account?

FXOpen UK: new trading accounts are not available

FXOpen UK identifies its operating company as FXOpen Ltd, FCA firm reference 579202. Its present notice says all client accounts have closed and remaining funds should be withdrawn through the client portal. Its account-opening page states that retail clients were asked to close positions and withdraw by 16 September 2026, and professional clients by 21 September 2026; it also says new applications are not accepted. An archived trading-conditions page still describing a £300, $300 or €300 minimum must not be read as an currently open new-account offer.

FXOpen's international website is a different legal offer: the international policy page identifies FXOpen INT as a trading name of FXOpen Markets Limited, a company registered in Nevis. Being registered in Nevis is not the same as being authorised by the UK FCA. FXOpen's group comparison of entities separately lists differing safeguards. A resident must verify that the intended entity can lawfully serve them and review the actual client agreement before any deposit.

Exness: UK and Cyprus licences do not mean UK retail access

Exness names several distinct firms on its regulation page. It expressly states that Exness (UK) Ltd and Exness (Cy) Ltd do not offer trading services to retail clients. Its international legal-documents page excludes UK and European residents from the services of the listed international entities. An FCA or CySEC logo in a broker-group list therefore does not establish that a retail trader's contract will be with that regulated company.

Outside restricted jurisdictions, the relevant Exness entity, payment options and account protection depend on the residence country and onboarding. Verify the name of the company in the client agreement, its regulator and licence, the account classification, the complaints mechanism and applicable loss protections. Do not infer those terms from the brand alone.

Minimum deposits: four different numbers to check

A broker's headline minimum is not necessarily the smallest payment you can make, or enough money to place and sustain an actual trade. Compare these four separate requirements:

1. Account opening or first-funding threshold: an account type may require a particular first deposit before trading is enabled.
2. Payment-method minimum: the bank, card or payment rail can impose its own limit on each transfer.
3. Margin to open a position: the market price, position size, instrument and permitted leverage determine the margin needed.
4. Free funds after opening: spread, commission, price moves and possible financing charges need additional room beyond the initial margin.

FXOpen ECN funding minimum

The current FXOpen INT ECN account page lists a $100 minimum deposit (or equivalent), variable spreads from 0.0 pips and 0.01-lot minimum trade size. Its payment-service documentation describes some smaller transaction thresholds; a low payment-system floor is not proof that a newly opened ECN account can be activated below the published $100 account minimum. The old comparison's broad list of FXOpen Micro, STP and Crypto accounts is not a reliable current account menu for the specific entity reviewed here.

Exness Standard versus Professional account funding

Exness's account-type guide says Standard and Standard Cent have no fixed account-level deposit requirement, but the first-time funding amount depends on the payment method. Its first-deposit guide adds that the regional setting and the selected account type matter. Exness classifies Pro, Raw Spread and Zero as its Professional trading account types; this is an account-product label and does not by itself establish a regulatory professional-client classification. The Exness Help Center says those types have region-dependent first-deposit thresholds, with a published baseline of at least $200 for the professional-type first deposit. Do not present $10 as a universal required first deposit for Exness Standard.

Exness illustrates the distinction with a professional-type account requiring a $200 initial deposit and a payment rail permitting $10 transfers: the first deposit must still meet the higher account requirement. For either broker, an account can also be underfunded for a particular trade even if the first-deposit rule is satisfied. Exness explicitly identifies market conditions and required margin as separate practical constraints.

Deposits, withdrawal methods and possible fees

FXOpen: use the correct entity's funding schedule

The FXOpen INT funding page instructs clients to consult MyFXOpen for available methods and current fees, and says third-party payments are not accepted. The firm's fee schedule shows that charges are not universally zero: regional online banking in VND, THB or IDR, for example, has listed percentage deposit and withdrawal charges. Those are method- and region-specific examples, not blanket FXOpen charges and not options promised to a UK reader. A deposit's payment minimum, currency and service charge should be checked separately from the ECN trading-account minimum.

FXOpen UK's legacy funding page describes bank and card withdrawal timings, but the closure notice takes priority for current UK customers. Anyone who still needs to recover funds should use the existing FXOpen UK client portal and written support instructions, not try to open a replacement UK trading account.

Exness: the Personal Area controls the live payment conditions

Exness's payment-method guidance, updated in October 2026, says each eligible method displays a minimum, maximum, processing-time range and any relevant fees in the Personal Area. Methods vary by registration region, verification status and payment-account ownership. Exness does not accept third-party payment accounts. Currency conversion or external payment-provider fees can change the amount that actually arrives. No single list of debit cards, bank transfers or digital wallets applies to every customer.

Before depositing with an eligible entity, check whether the withdrawal method will be the same as the original funding source, whether identification is complete, what currency the account uses and what charges the intermediary applies. Faster broker-side processing does not guarantee the banking network credits the money immediately.

Trading costs: spreads, commission and financing

Comparing just the lowest advertised spread makes unlike accounts look identical. A realistic cost comparison uses the same currency pair, market session, trade size, account type and holding period, and includes both opening and closing trades.

For illustration, a $3.50 commission per side becomes $7 for a round trip on one standard lot, before spread, slippage or financing. The FXOpen INT ECN terms list that base commission and an inactivity charge; Exness's account-type table distinguishes its spread-only and commission accounts. Neither a zero-pip starting spread nor an ECN label establishes the lowest total cost or guarantees execution quality.

Platforms, leverage and execution are entity-specific too

FXOpen INT describes its current ECN account around TickTrader, market execution and variable spreads. Exness provides MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, alongside its Exness trading interfaces in supported countries. Instrument coverage and platform access can differ by account type and entity; verify the live product list instead of assuming every legacy platform or cryptocurrency CFD is available.

FXOpen INT's published terms mention leverage up to 1:500 for that international offer. Exness publishes higher leverage limits for some accounts and circumstances, but these must not be presented as UK retail offers. The FCA's retail CFD rules constrain leverage to a range from 30:1 to 2:1 by asset and require other protections for eligible UK retail clients. Those UK retail rules do not attach automatically to a contract with an overseas FXOpen or Exness entity.

Neither marketing description proves every trade is sent to an external venue or filled at the requested price. Spread widening, slippage, liquidity, rejected orders and platform outages remain execution risks. Compare the entity's order execution policy, spreads at the hours you trade and actual account statements, rather than accepting assertions of 'minimal slippage' or guaranteed speed.

Client protection and a decision checklist

Start with the contracting company. Check its registration and permissions against the named regulator, not merely the existence of an FCA, CySEC or other licence elsewhere in the corporate group. Then read the exact client terms for segregation, compensation or insolvency arrangements, negative balance terms, retail versus professional status and complaints rights. An offshore company registration is not an FCA licence, and a regulator's oversight does not insure normal trading losses.

For an eligible reader outside the UK, use this practical sequence before paying money:

1. Confirm that your country of residence is accepted and record the full company name on the proposed agreement.
2. Identify the exact account type, platform and first-deposit threshold.
3. Look up the deposit method's separate minimum, transaction limits, fees and conversion rate.
4. Calculate the margin for the intended instrument and lot size, then allow a buffer for spread and adverse moves.
5. Compare round-trip spread plus commission and any financing or inactivity charges at the same trade size.
6. Review the withdrawal rules and verified complaints route before funding the account.

Independent background material is available in our FXOpen review and Exness review. Those pages are not substitutes for the current legal agreement, and broker group details elsewhere on the site may also need updates following the UK closure.

FXOpen or Exness: which is the better fit?

For a UK retail trader seeking a new account, neither is an appropriate current shortlist choice on the evidence reviewed. FXOpen UK has ended its client-account service, while Exness's retail arrangements do not extend through its UK or Cyprus firms and its international legal documents exclude the UK. Do not treat an international sign-up link as a way to recover UK protections.

In jurisdictions where the relevant entity accepts residents, FXOpen INT's ECN offer merits examination by traders comfortable with a $100 account threshold, variable spreads and explicit per-side commissions. Exness's Standard account may be worth examining by traders who prefer spread-only pricing, but its payment-rail minimum and regional eligibility still need to be established. Exness Raw Spread or Zero accounts create a separate commission-based comparison. None is a universal winner without a matched entity, actual fees, trade size and evidence of execution.

Common questions

Is FXOpen still accepting UK clients?

No new FXOpen UK applications are being accepted according to its public account-opening notice, and its public notice confirms that its client accounts are now closed. Former clients directed to retrieve remaining funds should use the existing client portal and the broker's published instructions. The international FXOpen brand is a separate legal offer and does not restore UK retail access or UK safeguards.

Does Exness really have no minimum deposit?

Its Standard and Standard Cent products do not have a single fixed account-level opening figure, but the first payment must satisfy the applicable payment-method minimum and regional conditions. Professional-type products such as Raw Spread, Zero and Pro have additional first-deposit rules. The required trading margin is separate.

Can a UK resident use Exness because it has an FCA licence?

No UK retail service follows from that licence. Exness says its FCA-regulated UK entity does not serve retail customers, and its international legal information lists the UK as a restricted residency market. Check actual eligibility rather than relying on a group-wide licence list.

Which is cheaper for an active forex trader?

The answer requires a like-for-like comparison of the same instrument, spread at the intended time, account commission and trading volume. FXOpen INT ECN applies a published per-side commission, while Exness Standard is commission-free but uses spreads. Exness's Raw Spread and Zero accounts have other commission arrangements, so a headline zero-pip spread is not a complete comparison.

Why can a broker accept a deposit yet still show insufficient margin?

Funding minimums and trade margin measure different things. A valid payment may be too small for a chosen position after the required margin, spread and commission are taken into account. Lower lot size, less leverage or more funds may be required, but adding money never eliminates the risk of a leveraged loss.

Risk warning: Retail forex and CFD trading is highly risky. Leverage magnifies losses, prices can move sharply, and you may lose the funds committed to trading. Protections such as negative balance limits, segregated client funds and compensation arrangements depend on the specific legal entity, jurisdiction and client classification. No advertised spread, broker licence or execution model guarantees a profit or protects against market losses.