Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 70% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
UK Regulated Stockbroker Since 2009 | Client funds held with IG | FSCS protection up to £85,000 | Best CFD Broker 2026
PROFESSIONAL BENEFITS
Built for
experienced traders.​
Access the facilities, pricing and support you need, with a trading arrangement reviewed around how you trade.
Cash rebates
Rewarding active trading
No one-size-fits-all rebate structure
Every Professional trader is different. Funding levels, trading frequency, typical trade size, the markets traded and how positions are held can all vary significantly.
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That is why Guardian does not apply a one-size-fits-all approach to Professional cash rebates.
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We review how you actually trade and consider the overall commercial relationship, including:
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how your account is funded
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your trading frequency and typical trade size
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the markets and products you trade
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how long positions are typically held
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your expected level of activity
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your overall relationship with Guardian
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Different markets also generate trading costs in different ways. Some trading strategies may be more heavily affected by overnight funding, while in other markets a greater proportion of the cost may be reflected in the spread or other dealing charges.
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For that reason, simply looking at headline trading volume does not always give a complete picture of the economics of an account.
Where possible, Guardian will look at the overall profile of your trading and structure a rebate arrangement that is financially worthwhile for you while remaining commercially sustainable for Guardian.
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That means a well-funded client trading less frequently may have a very different profile from a highly active trader, and those differences can be taken into account rather than applying the same structure to every Professional client.
Already receiving rebates with another provider or just want to find out whether you could qualify for a cash rebate?
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Let Guardian review your current arrangement and discuss what may be available based on how you trade.​
Professional margins
More efficient use of your trading capital.
Professional clients are not subject to the Retail leverage limits that apply to spread betting and CFD accounts. This means less initial margin may be required to open the same market exposure.
The table below shows the minimum Professional and Retail margin requirements currently available through the IG trading platform.
Margin requirements are subject to change and may vary by market, position size and prevailing market conditions.
What does this mean in practice?
For example, a £100,000 position in a major index at a 5% Retail margin would require £5,000 of initial margin.
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At a 0.15% Professional margin, the same £100,000 market exposure would require £150 of initial margin.
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The market exposure remains £100,000 in both cases.
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Lower margin does not mean lower risk. Profit and loss are calculated on the full market exposure.
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Professional clients do not receive the Retail negative balance protection that applies to Retail CFD and spread betting accounts, so losses can exceed the funds deposited.
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Lower margin can allow experienced traders to use their available trading capital more efficiently, but the additional leverage also increases the importance of managing overall exposure, available funds and margin requirements.
Portfolio collateral
Put your existing share portfolio to work.
Put your existing share portfolio to work.
Eligible Professional clients can use a proportion of the value of shares held in an IG share-dealing account as collateral towards the margin required for spread betting and CFD positions.
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This can reduce the amount of cash that needs to be held purely to meet margin requirements, while your underlying shareholdings remain in your share-dealing account.
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How much of my portfolio can be used?
Generally, between 75% and 95% of the value of eligible shares can be used as collateral, depending on the liquidity and eligibility of the individual shares.
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For example, if £100,000 of eligible shares received a 90% collateral value, up to £90,000 could contribute towards your margin requirements.
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The actual collateral value applied to individual shares can change.
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What do I need?
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To use the collateral service you need:
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Professional client status
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an IG share-dealing account containing eligible shares
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an IG spread betting or CFD account
ISA holdings cannot be used as collateral.
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What happens if my leveraged positions lose money?
Collateral can help meet margin requirements, but it does not cover running trading losses in the same way as available cash.
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You should maintain sufficient cash in your spread betting or CFD account, or have transferable cash available, to cover losses.
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Professional clients do not receive Retail negative balance protection, so losses can exceed the funds deposited. If your account remains in margin call, positions may be closed and, in certain circumstances, shares used as collateral may ultimately be required to cover a debit balance.
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