Margin is the amount reserved in your trading account to open and maintain orders. It’s calculated in the account's currency based on the trading instrument and leverage. Margin acts as a deposit, not a fee, and is returned after an order is closed, provided losses don't consume it.

Calculating margin

For quick margin calculations, use our trading calculator.

Dynamic margin requirements

Dynamic margin requirements change as leverage changes:

• Higher leverage = Less margin required.
• Lower leverage = More margin required.

Conditions for leverage change under dynamic margin requirements include:

• When your trading account’s equity changes.
• During the publication of important economic news.
• 3 hours before and 1 hour after weekend market closure and holiday breaks.

Formula: Margin = Lots × Contract Size / Leverage

Example: For 2 lots of EURUSD at 1:2000 leverage: Margin = 2 × 100,000 / 2000 = 100 EUR

Fixed margin requirements

Fixed margin requirements remain unchanged regardless of leverage.

Fixed margin applies to specific instruments, such as:

• Exotic currency pairs
• Cryptocurrencies
• Commodities (energies and some metals)
• Stocks
• Indices

The margin depends on the specific symbol and is unaffected by leverage (including unlimited leverage) for these instruments. 

Formula: Margin = Lots × Contract Size × Required Margin

Example: For 0.5 lots of GBPSEKm with a 1% margin requirement: Margin = 0.5 × 100,000 × 0.01 = 500 GBP

Margin requirements for fully hedged orders equal 0%. Partially hedged orders margin applied to the unhedged part.

Read about Higher Margin requirements (HMR) during news releases and market break in this article.