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An Introducing Broker (IB) is a person, company, trader, educator, affiliate, or financial community that introduces clients to a broker and can earn commissions or other rewards from the business they generate.
An introducing broker (IB) is a partner of a forex or CFD broker whose role is to introduce new clients to that broker. The IB does not normally hold client funds, execute trades or act as the counterparty — the broker does that, under its own regulatory permissions.
Exactly what an IB is allowed to do varies. Permitted activities depend on the broker's partnership agreement, the jurisdiction involved, applicable regulations, the IB's own business model, and licensing or registration where that is required.
Being an IB does not automatically make someone a licensed financial adviser, a broker, or a regulated investment firm. If an activity would amount to regulated advice or intermediation in a given country, licensing may be required regardless of how the broker labels the partnership.
Requirements vary by broker and jurisdiction. Always read the broker's actual IB agreement and confirm local requirements before promoting any program.
Most IBs add value around the broker's service rather than replacing it. Typical areas include:
Tutorials, webinars, platform walkthroughs and beginner guides that help a new trader understand how markets and orders work.
Market commentary, trading ideas and economic-calendar information. This is general information and is not automatically personalised investment advice — treating it as advice can trigger regulatory obligations.
Help understanding MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView or the broker's mobile apps — installation, order types, charting and platform settings.
Onboarding help, explaining account types, assisting with platform setup, and directing clients to the broker's own support and compliance teams.
Depending on the broker, partners may be able to offer improved service levels, extra resources, dedicated support, promotions or rebates where legally permitted. Offerings vary by broker and jurisdiction — not every broker offers any of these.
IB compensation is typically paid by the broker, based on the business generated by referred clients. Depending on the program, that can be calculated from trading volume, lots traded, spread or commission revenue, client activity, or another structure agreed in the IB contract. Structures differ significantly between brokers.
Illustrative example: an IB introduces 10 clients who go on to trade. Under that IB's agreement, the broker pays a recurring commission tied to those clients' qualifying activity. The amount is whatever the agreement specifies — it is not a fixed industry figure.
Introduces a prospective client using a tracking link or IB code.
Registers with the broker, completes verification, funds an account and trades through the broker's platform.
Provides the trading infrastructure, holds client funds, processes client orders and records qualifying trading activity in accordance with its policies and the IB agreement.
Paid by the broker according to the applicable IB agreement and qualifying client activity.
The broker — not the IB — holds client funds and provides the trading infrastructure through which clients place their orders.
Potential additional income — not guaranteed. Earnings depend on the broker's program, client activity, trading volume, jurisdiction, and the terms of the IB agreement.
IB compensation is subject to the broker's trading and compliance policies.
If a referred client is identified as engaging in toxic, abusive, manipulative or otherwise prohibited trading activity, the broker may terminate the client's account and take any other action permitted under its policies and applicable agreements.
Where rebates or commissions have been generated from such activity, the broker may reverse, withhold or deduct the corresponding rebates or commissions attributed to the respective client, in accordance with the applicable IB agreement.
If an IB consistently introduces clients who engage in abusive, toxic or prohibited trading practices, this may result in a review of the IB relationship and, where warranted, suspension or termination of the IB agreement.
An IB partnership is a way to potentially earn additional income from an audience you already serve, subject to qualifying client activity and the broker's terms. People an IB might introduce include:
Community example: someone running an active trading chat group partners with a broker as an IB and shares their tracking link alongside their normal educational content. Where members choose to open and fund accounts and trade, compensation may follow under the agreement.
Potential additional income only. Compensation varies by broker and is subject to qualifying client activity — no result is promised or typical.
Brokers accept a wide range of partner profiles, including:
Eligibility is not universal: it depends on the broker's own criteria and on the jurisdiction of both the partner and the introduced clients.
The application path is broadly similar across brokers, even though the detail differs:
Shortlist brokers whose regulation, markets and pricing fit your audience
Commission structure, CPA / revenue share / volume rewards, payment terms, minimum payout, supported countries, marketing rules and reporting tools
Submit the partner application with your channels and business details
ID, company information, proof of address and marketing channels — requirements vary by broker and jurisdiction
Tracking link or IB code, partner portal, marketing materials and reporting dashboard
Share the link within the broker's marketing and compliance rules
Compensation follows qualifying client activity as defined in the contract
Approval, verification and payout mechanics are set by each broker.
Yes — and they vary significantly between brokers. Possible requirements include:
Marketing restrictions are just as important, and often include limits on:
Requirements vary by broker and jurisdiction. The only authoritative source is the individual broker's partnership agreement and marketing policy.
The two models overlap, and many brokers run both. The differences below describe typical characteristics, not universal rules.
| Criteria | Introducing broker (IB) | Affiliate |
|---|---|---|
| Main role | Introduces and supports clients on an ongoing basis | Drives traffic and registrations through marketing channels |
| Relationship | Usually a longer-term relationship with the client and the broker | Usually ends at the referral, with the broker taking over |
| Compensation | Often volume- or activity-based, sometimes recurring | Often CPA per qualified client, revenue share or hybrid |
| Client support | Commonly provides onboarding and platform help | Typically no direct client support role |
| Partner portal | IB portal with client-level activity reporting where offered | Affiliate dashboard focused on clicks, conversions and payouts |
| Revenue potential | Depends on referred-client trading activity over time | Depends on conversion volume and the agreed model |
| Requirements | May require verification, tiers or minimum activity | May require an approved traffic source and compliance review |
Neither model always pays more. Compensation varies by broker, program, client activity and jurisdiction.
Use this checklist when comparing partnership programs, then confirm every point in the broker's own agreement.
Checklist
Say you run a 500-member trading community. You compare broker partnership programs, apply to one whose regulation and pricing suit your members, and are approved as an IB. You introduce members using your tracking link, while the broker handles verification, funding and execution. Where members open accounts and generate qualifying activity, compensation is calculated under your agreement and paid on the broker's schedule.
This is an illustrative example only. Actual IB earnings depend on the broker, partnership model, client activity, trading volume, jurisdiction and applicable agreement. No income is guaranteed.
Rather than opening a dozen broker partner pages, use our Broker Partnerships section to compare programs side by side on the terms that actually decide whether a partnership works for your audience: IB commission, affiliate commission, CPA, revenue share, volume-based commission, payment methods and frequency, minimum payout, IB requirements, supported countries, IB portal and reporting, sub-IB structure, dedicated account manager, and the application process.
Every figure we show comes from the broker partnership data we track and verify — never from this educational guide.
Next step
Every commission model, payout term and restriction we publish comes from the broker partnership data we track and verify — not from this guide.
This guide is general educational information about how broker partnership programs work. It is not financial, legal, tax or regulatory advice, and it does not promise any income. Commission structures, requirements and restrictions are set by each broker and vary by jurisdiction — the figures we publish come only from the partnership data we track.
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