BlackBull Markets logo

BlackBull Markets Review

BlackBull Markets sits below the standard we would recommend without reservation. Regulated by New Zealand FMA (FSP403326); Seychelles FSA (SD045), offering MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingView, cTrader, BlackBull Invest.

Last checked

BlackBull Markets at a Glance

Editorial score6.2 / 10
RegulationNew Zealand FMA, Seychelles FSA
Minimum deposit$0
Spread from0.0 pips
Maximum leverage1:500
PlatformsMetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingView, cTrader, BlackBull Invest
MarketsForex, Shares, Indices, Commodities, Metals, Energies, Cryptocurrencies
Forex pairs70+
Demo accountYes
Founded2014
HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand

About BlackBull Markets

BlackBull Markets is roughly 12 years old. Younger is not worse, but there is less public record to judge it on, so the licence and the protections carry proportionally more weight.

The contracting entity is Black Bull Group Limited. This is the company you would actually have a relationship with, and it is worth checking that it is the same one named on the licence you are relying on: large brokers commonly operate several, and they are not equally protected.

Part of Independent. A parent adds resources, but the protections that apply to you are the ones attached to the entity that holds your account, not to the group.

Legal entityBlack Bull Group Limited
Company numberNZBN 9429041417799
HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
Founded2014
Publicly listedNo
Parent companyIndependent
EmployeesApprox. 100-500
Also trades asBlackBull Markets; BlackBull

Regulation and Safety

BlackBull Markets holds a tier-one authorisation from FMA. That matters more than any headline spread: it determines your leverage cap, whether losses can exceed your deposit, and what happens to your money if the firm fails.

It also operates an offshore entity (FSA). Which one you are onboarded to depends on where you live, and the two carry very different protections - worth confirming before you deposit.

New Zealand's FMA licenses derivative issuers and requires client funds to be held separately.

An FSA licence here is usually the Seychelles authorisation - an offshore entity, with lighter obligations than a tier-one regulator.

Client money is held separately from the firm's own money, at ANZ Bank New Zealand. That separation is what makes your balance recoverable if the company fails, rather than part of the pool its creditors divide up.

Negative balance protection applies, so a losing position cannot take the account below zero and leave you owing the broker money.

Covered by No conventional statutory investor compensation scheme, which pays eligible clients up to its limit if the firm fails owing client money.

Regulated byNew Zealand FMA (FSP403326); Seychelles FSA (SD045)
Regulator tierTier 2
Register entryNew Zealand Financial Service Providers Register, FSP403326
Client money segregatedYes
Held atANZ Bank New Zealand
Negative balance protectionYes, entity/account dependent
Compensation schemeNo conventional statutory investor compensation scheme
Audited byIndependent external auditors
Not available toUnited States and jurisdictions where services would contravene local laws

Trading Costs

A quoted spread from 0.0 pips is a raw-spread figure, which almost always means a separate commission per lot. Compare the two together - a "zero spread" account with a high commission can cost more than a wider spread with none.

Quoted spreads are best-case figures on the most liquid pair, in normal conditions. What you actually pay widens around news and at the session open.

BlackBull Markets lists a minimum deposit of $0. Treat it as the cost of opening an account, not the cost of trading one - position sizing on a small balance is what tends to cause damage.

Spreads and Commissions

Spread from0.0 pips
EUR/USD spreadApprox. 0.1 pips on ECN Prime
GBP/USD spreadApprox. 0.2-0.4 pips on ECN Prime
Commission$3 per side / $6 round turn on ECN Prime
All-in cost, EUR/USDApprox. 0.7 pips
Spread typeVariable
Overnight swapBoth: swaps may be charged or credited
Deposit feeGenerally none internally
Withdrawal fee$5
Currency conversionApplicable where conversion is required

Compare the round-trip cost at your size with the profit and loss calculator. The lesson on spreads, commissions and financing explains how to add them up.

Account Types

BlackBull Markets runs 5 account types. More choice is not automatically better: the tightest headline spread almost always sits on the account that also charges a commission, so the comparison that matters is the two added together.

Base currencies: USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, NZD, SGD, CAD, JPY, ZAR. Holding the account in the currency you fund it with avoids a conversion charge on every deposit and withdrawal - a cost that never shows up in a spread comparison.

The smallest position is 0.01 lots. For anyone starting carefully this matters more than the minimum deposit, because it sets the least you can put at risk on a single trade.

A demo account is available. Worth using for the platform rather than the results: fills are simulated, so it tells you how the software behaves but very little about execution.

Minimum Deposit

The minimum deposit at BlackBull Markets is $0. The sensible starting deposit is the one that lets you size positions at one percent risk with a realistic stop, which the position size calculator works out.

Minimum deposit$0
Account typesECN Standard, ECN Prime, ECN Institutional, Islamic, Demo
Account currenciesUSD, EUR, GBP, AUD, NZD, SGD, CAD, JPY, ZAR
Islamic accountYes
Demo accountYes
Professional accountInstitutional offering available
Minimum trade size0.01 lots
Time to openTypically a few minutes, subject to verification

Trading Platforms

MetaTrader 4 remains the most widely supported platform for expert advisors. If you rely on an existing EA, this is usually the deciding factor.

MetaTrader 5 handles more asset classes and order types than MT4, but expert advisors are not compatible between the two - an MT4 EA will not run on it.

cTrader shows depth of market and level II pricing, and is usually paired with raw-spread accounts rather than fixed-spread ones.

TradingView integration lets you trade from charts you may already use, removing the need to run a second platform for analysis.

  • MetaTrader 4: The most widely offered forex platform, with a vast library of indicators and expert advisors written in MQL4.
  • MetaTrader 5: MetaQuotes' current platform: more timeframes and order types than MT4, depth of market, a built-in economic calendar, a multi-threaded strategy tester and support for exchange-traded markets..
  • TradingView: The most used charting platform in retail trading, with a free plan, paid tiers, Pine Script for custom indicators and strategies, and broker integration that lets you trade from the chart at supporting brokers..
  • cTrader: Spotware's trading platform, an alternative to MetaTrader with a cleaner interface, depth of market by default, clear order handling and C# automation through cTrader Automate..
PlatformsMetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingView, cTrader, BlackBull Invest
Own platformYes, BlackBull Invest
Mobile appYes
Browser tradingYes
Automated tradingYes
Copy tradingYes
IndicatorsExtensive MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView libraries
Third-party toolsTradingView, MT4, MT5, cTrader, ZuluTrade
API accessYes, FIX API/institutional connectivity

Markets

Leverage up to 1:500 is available on this entity. High leverage does not increase your expected return - it increases position size for the same deposit, and shortens the move needed to close you out.

BlackBull Markets covers forex, shares, indices, commodities, metals, energies, cryptocurrencies. A wider range matters less than depth in the instruments you actually trade.

Funding options: visa, mastercard, bank transfer, skrill, neteller, cryptocurrency and regional methods. Check withdrawal routes as well as deposit ones - they are often not the same, and the difference only becomes apparent when you try to take money out.

Forex Pairs

BlackBull Markets offers 70+ currency pairs. Other markets on offer: forex, shares, indices, commodities, metals, energies, cryptocurrencies.

Leverage

Maximum leverage is 1:500. Retail leverage is capped at 1:30 on major pairs under FCA, ESMA and ASIC rules and higher leverage is available only from entities outside those regulators. The lesson on leverage explains why the number you can use is rarely the number you should.

Execution

MarketsForex, Shares, Indices, Commodities, Metals, Energies, Cryptocurrencies
Currency pairs70+
Total instruments26,000+
Crypto CFDsYes
Maximum leverage1:500
Execution modelECN / NDD
Execution speedUnder 100ms
Order typesMarket, limit, stop, stop-loss, take-profit, trailing stop and platform-specific orders
ServersEquinix NY4, LD4 and TY3 infrastructure

Deposits and Withdrawals

Withdrawals are stated at Generally processed within 24 hours; settlement varies by provider, against Many electronic methods instant for deposits. A gap between the two is normal and not in itself a warning sign - identity checks are a legal obligation, not obstruction. What is worth noticing is a withdrawal that keeps meeting new conditions after those checks are done.

Withdrawal routes: bank transfer, cards, e-wallets and supported funding methods. Money is usually returned by the route it arrived on, so the deposit method you pick is in effect the withdrawal method you are picking too.

Deposit methodsVisa, Mastercard, bank transfer, Skrill, Neteller, cryptocurrency and regional methods
Withdrawal methodsBank transfer, cards, e-wallets and supported funding methods
Deposit timeMany electronic methods instant
Withdrawal timeGenerally processed within 24 hours; settlement varies by provider
Local payment methodsMultiple regional methods

Customer Support

Support runs 24/7. Round-the-clock cover matters more than it sounds: a position held over a weekend or through an unexpected halt is exactly when you need somebody to answer.

Reachable by live chat, email, phone, help centre. A published telephone number is the one channel that is hard to fake and hard to ignore, so whether there is one says more than the number of channels does.

Languages: Multilingual. Being able to raise a complaint in your own language is worth more than it appears, because complaints are where precision matters most.

Education: extensive: blackbull academy, webinars, trading guides, platform tutorials. Treat broker-published material as an introduction rather than as advice - it is produced by a firm whose revenue rises when you trade more.

Support hours24/7
Contact channelsLive chat, email, phone, Help Centre
LanguagesMultilingual
Telephone+64 9 558 5142
Emailsupport@blackbull.com
Live chat responseTypically within minutes
EducationExtensive: BlackBull Academy, webinars, trading guides, platform tutorials
ResearchMarket analysis, technical/fundamental commentary, trading ideas and economic coverage

Education and Research

BlackBull Markets offers Extensive: BlackBull Academy, webinars, trading guides, platform tutorials. Research: Market analysis, technical/fundamental commentary, trading ideas and economic coverage. Whatever a broker provides, the courses on this site cover the fundamentals independently of any broker.

Demo Account

BlackBull Markets offers a free demo account. Use it to test the platform, the spreads at your trading hours and the order types you rely on before depositing; the lesson on demo and live accounts explains what a demo can and cannot tell you.

Key Strengths

  • Spreads from 0.0 pips, competitive for active trading.
  • A minimum deposit of $0, accessible for a first account.
  • A free demo account to test before depositing.
  • A choice of platforms: MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingView, cTrader.

Important Considerations

  • No regulatory licence could be confirmed.
  • Entity matters: the protections described here apply only to the licensed company named in your client agreement.
  • One or more safety items is flagged in the regulation section above.

Who Is BlackBull Markets Suitable For?

BlackBull Markets suits experienced traders who accept offshore regulation, active traders who want raw spreads, and beginners with small starting deposits. The considerations section below lists what to check first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is BlackBull Markets regulated?

Yes. BlackBull Markets holds licences from New Zealand FMA, Seychelles FSA. The protections you get depend on which of its entities you open an account with; check the entity named in your client agreement on that regulator's register.

What is the BlackBull Markets minimum deposit?

The minimum deposit is $0. It can differ by account type and entity, so confirm it on the account page before funding.

Does BlackBull Markets offer a demo account?

Yes. BlackBull Markets offers a free demo account, which is the cheapest way to test the platform and spreads before depositing.

What platforms does BlackBull Markets offer?

BlackBull Markets offers MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingView, cTrader, BlackBull Invest.

Who is BlackBull Markets suitable for?

BlackBull Markets suits experienced traders who accept offshore regulation, active traders who want raw spreads, and beginners with small starting deposits. The considerations section below lists what to check first.

Visit BlackBull Markets

Open the broker's site to check the current terms for the entity that serves your country.

Visit BlackBull Markets (opens in a new tab)

Trading forex and CFDs carries a high risk of losing money. Figures are the broker's published terms at the last check and can change. We may earn a commission when you open an account through a link. Affiliate disclosure.

Cookie settings