Worked example
Practising on IQ Option's numbers
This is an exercise sheet, not a review. We are going to take three things that IQ Option publishes — a spread, a ladder of account types and a list of licences — and turn each of them into something you can do arithmetic with. By the end you should be able to repeat the whole exercise on any firm you come across, which is the actual skill being taught.
The figures we are working from
Nothing below is our estimate. Where a firm has not published something, or we could not read it on a source we trust, the box says so instead of guessing — a habit worth copying when you build your own broker notes.
Exercise one — turn the spread into money
IQ Option does not publish a EUR/USD spread we were able to verify, so there is no honest arithmetic to do on this page. Do not substitute a number you read on a comparison site: an unverified spread quietly becomes an unverified cost, and then an unverified plan. Use one of the other examples on the practice index for this exercise and come back to this file for the account ladder below.
Exercise two — read the account ladder
Account tiers are a pricing structure dressed as a status ladder. IQ Option offers 2 rungs. Read them as a question — what does each rung ask of me, and what does it give back? — rather than as a set of prizes to climb towards.
- DemoThe entry rung. Whatever the published spread applies to, it is almost always this one — so this is the rung your arithmetic above describes.
- RealA higher rung usually trades a tighter spread for a commission, a larger deposit, or a status test. Convert both pricing models to money per lot before you decide either is cheaper.
Account names as published: Demo, Real. Platforms listed: IQ Option proprietary web platform, Mobile apps, Desktop app.
Exercise three — what this licence list means for you
A long licence list is not automatically a good sign. What matters to a beginner is a narrower question: which entity would hold my money, and who supervises that entity? Those are often not the same as the impressive name at the top of the list. Here are IQ Option's lines, each with a plain reading.
| Regulator | Entity on the register | Number | What that means for a beginner |
|---|---|---|---|
| CySEC · Cyprus | IQOption Europe Ltd (listed by CySEC as IQBroker Europe Ltd, ex IQOption Europe Ltd) | 247/14 | a mid-tier regulator: real supervision and a register, usually with a smaller or capped compensation scheme |
| None disclosed (Antigua and Barbuda registration ILLC 004) · Antigua and Barbuda | Sky Ladder LLC | not verified | an offshore registration: a company exists and pays a fee, but expect little practical recourse from that entity |
No top-tier line appears on this file. That does not make the firm illegitimate, but it does mean the compensation-scheme and capital-rule protections a beginner usually assumes are present are not evidenced here. 1 line is offshore registration; treat those as a company address rather than as supervision. We could not confirm a licence number on 1 line, which is exactly the kind of gap you should close yourself on the regulator's own register before depositing.
The record behind these numbers
- IQOption Europe Ltd holds CySEC licence 247/14, dated 30 July 2014, with Cyprus company registration number HE327751; the CySEC register lists the entity as IQBroker Europe Ltd (ex IQOption Europe Ltd) (https://www.cysec.gov.cy/en-GB/entities/investment-firms/cypriot/40647/).
- CySEC published a decision imposing an administrative fine of EUR 180,000 on IQ Option Europe Ltd (https://www.cysec.gov.cy/en-GB/public-info/decisions/38973/).
- The FCA register entry for IQOPTION EUROPE LTD states the firm is running off its UK business and cannot deal with new customers (https://register.fca.org.uk/s/firm?id=001b000000k1yJqAAI).
- Outside the EEA, IQ Option states services are provided by Sky Ladder LLC, registered in Antigua and Barbuda under registration number ILLC 004, with no financial-services licence disclosed.
- Regulators in several jurisdictions, including Brazil's CVM and the Reserve Bank of India, have published alerts or orders concerning IQ Option or entities using the brand.
What we could not verify
The following are unconfirmed and are deliberately left blank rather than estimated: minimum deposit; EUR/USD spread; date of the CySEC EUR 180,000 decision; negative balance protection; current CySEC licence status under the IQBroker name. Confidence in this file overall: medium. When you build your own notes on a firm, keep a list like this one — the gaps are more useful than the figures, because they tell you what to go and check.
Run the same exercise on another firm
PipMentor does not rank brokers, does not award badges and does not tell you where to open an account. This page exists so the arithmetic you learn in the curriculum has real numbers to bite on.