ECN is short for ‘Electronic Communication Network’ and brokers using the ECN technology automatically match orders from forex traders with external liquidity providers through straight through processing (STP).
The main benefit of using an ECN broker is that the broker gets prices from several sources within the ECN, which means traders can see spreads as low as 0,0 pips.
In addition, there is no conflict of interest as the counter-party of your trade is not your own broker, but an external liquidity provider.
Best ECN Brokers 2022
1. Skilling – Best Overall Broker 2022
Skilling offers ECN trading with interbank spreads from 0,0 through their Premium Account.
Best Overall Broker 2022
Up to 1:500 leverage
Skilling Trader, MT4 & cTrader
900+ instruments
Nordic Fintech
Fast 24/5 customer support
2. Pepperstone– Spreads from 0,0
Pepperstone provides ECN trading through the Raw Account type.
Best TradingView Broker 2022
1:30 | 1:400 leverage
MT4, MT5 & cTrader
1200+ instruments
Raw interbank spreads
Fast 24/5 customer support
Commission
As traders trade on interbank spreads, -sometimes as low as 0,0 pips, ECN brokers usually apply a small commission / volume fee.
Commissions usually start from $3.5 per lot (100,000) traded, but they can vary between different FX pairs and instruments.
ECN Trading Platforms
Due to the increased popularity of ECN technology, many forex brokers are stating their ECN status, without providing any real proof of this actually being the case.
If you want to trade with a pure ECN broker, you should choose a broker who offers the cTrader platform from Spotware, such as the Scandinavian fin-tech broker Skilling.
cTrader was built for ECN execution and this eliminates any kind of potential price manipulation from the broker side of the business.
Whenever you trade using cTrader, you will get real market execution for your orders based on real market prices.
Conclusion
Trading with an ECN broker is recommenced for all high-volume and professional traders.
The main difference with using an ECN broker, is that you trade on interbank spreads while being charged a small commission, and your trades get routed to external liquidity providers.
This is an overall better, safer, -and cheaper method of trading that more and more traders have started to appreciate.