Forex Pairs Available

Exinity Limited holds the local FSCA licence (FSP #50320), but the retail-facing brand for South African clients is FXTM. There is no standalone Exinity retail product for ZA, so the practical question is what FXTM offers in terms of currency pairs, costs, and platforms.

What You Can Trade

The instrument list available through FXTM covers the standard retail forex range: major pairs like ETH/USD and ETH/USD, minor and cross pairs such as ETH/USD or ETH/USD, plus metals, indices, commodities, and CFDs. Exinity as a standalone brand is a UAE-focused professional offering, not the on-ramp for South African retail traders.

The FSCA-licensed entity, Exinity Limited, is the group company holding the regulatory approval. Retail clients in South Africa access that licence through FXTM, which uses the same group infrastructure but offers the familiar account structure and trading conditions of a major international broker.

Pair Selection and Spreads

The exact spread and commission schedule depends on which account type you choose. FXTM's Advantage account works from around 0.0 pips plus a commission, which suits traders who want raw interbank pricing and are comfortable calculating the all-in cost per trade. The Standard-style account typically has wider spreads but no explicit commission, so the cost structure is simpler to track.

The verified settlement currency through this group is USD, and a ZAR base account was not confirmed at the time of review. If you deposit in rand, your bank or payment gateway will convert to dollars first, and that conversion typically costs roughly 2-3% on the spread.

Leverage: The Local Reality

South Africa does not impose an ESMA-style retail leverage cap, so brokers operating here can offer significantly higher ratios than European clients receive. Through FXTM, leverage is available up to roughly 1:1000 to 1:2000 depending on the account and the entity you trade under.

High leverage is a tool with a sharp edge. At 1:1000, a 0.1% adverse move in the pair wipes out your entire margin requirement. The FSCA does not cap this for retail clients, which means the responsibility for sizing positions sensibly sits entirely with you.

Where to Verify the Broker

The FSCA maintains a free public register where you can confirm any broker's authorisation status. Exinity Limited appears there as FSP #50320, licensed as an OTC Derivative Provider. The same register also shows warnings against unauthorised firms, so a quick check removes most of the risk of clone brokers.

Costs and Fees Compared

The cost structure matters more than the headline spread in most cases:

The standalone Exinity product requires professional-client status, typically meaning a portfolio around USD 500,000 and a minimum deposit near USD 10,000. That is not the entry point for a retail trader in South Africa, which is why the FXTM route matters for most people.

Deposits and withdrawals from South Africa

Funding a trading account from South Africa has become straightforward with open-banking payment rails. Instant EFT options like Ozow, Capitec Pay, and SiD are the dominant methods, with deposits usually landing instantly and often free of charge. Withdrawals typically take 1-2 business days through the same local channels, while card payments clear in 2-5 days and international SWIFT wires take 3-5 days.

The main banks involved are FNB, Absa, Standard Bank, Nedbank, and Capitec. A ZAR base account was not confirmed for this group at review time.

Tax and Exchange Control Notes

SARS taxes South African residents on worldwide income, including profits from offshore brokers. Frequent forex trading is generally treated as ordinary income taxed at your marginal rate, which runs from 18% up to 45%, rather than as capital gains. Active traders typically register for provisional tax, with IRP6 returns due at the end of August and February, and file the annual ITR12. Trading-related expenses are deductible.

On the money movement side, the South African Reserve Bank applies exchange controls. You can send up to R1 million per calendar year offshore under the Single Discretionary Allowance without prior approval, rising to R2 million from April 2026. The Foreign Investment Allowance allows up to R10 million per year, but requires a SARS tax-clearance certificate. These allowances cover funding foreign broker accounts.

After Balancing the Trade-Offs

The gap between the Exinity brand promise and the actual product for South African clients is decisive. The standalone Exinity offering is a professional-grade, UAE-focused service with a USD 10,000 minimum deposit and professional-client eligibility requirements. For a retail trader, that is not the door you walk through.

The FXTM route gives you the same group, the same FSCA-licensed entity behind the scenes, and access to a proper retail account structure with MT4 and MT5 platforms. The instrument range covers all major, minor, and exotic pairs you would expect, plus metals, indices, and CFDs. The leverage terms are competitive with the wider South African market, and local funding through Instant EFT is fast and free.

Works for

Retail traders in South Africa who want a familiar MT4/MT5 experience, a broad forex pair selection, and the reassurance of trading through an FSCA-licensed group entity. The Advantage account with raw spreads suits active traders who understand commission math and trade frequently enough to benefit from tighter pricing.

Falls short for

High-net-worth individuals specifically seeking the standalone Exinity professional product with its USD 500k portfolio threshold and institutional-style service. Also, traders who want a ZAR base account to eliminate conversion costs will need to look at brokers that explicitly offer that option, since it was not verified for this group at review time.