Inside IG: We Took A Inside Peek Into Their Singapore Office – Here’s What We Saw

This article was written in partnership with IG, the world’s No.1 CFD provider (by revenue excluding FX, 2016). All views expressed in the article are the independent opinion of DollarsAndSense.sg

A brightly-lit space for events that seamlessly connects to a pantry resembling a Starbucks café, a client support area similar to what you may expect to find at one of Apple’s Genius Bar, this familiar office at 9 Battery Road is what you would expect at a technology startup appealing to millennial workers in Singapore.

However, the company operating this space is far from what you would consider a startup. With over 40 years of track record, IG is one of the world’s biggest Contract for Difference (CFD) providers with access to more than 15,000 markets.

As a financial broker, the company primarily provides access to various common instruments for its clients including stocks, forex, indices, commodities as well as other instruments such as options and cryptocurrencies.

When we initially entered the office, the first thing that struck us was IG’s distinct branding. The company’s corporate colours of red and white (with a hint of black) could clearly be seen across the reception area.

Client Support Area

The client support area is where IG’s trading representatives would interact with most walk-in clients, answering their questions and guiding them through the account opening process.

When we were there, one of IG’s team members was kind enough to spend some time giving us a walkthrough of the functions and features clients can expect IG to provide on its platform.

Demo Account

These included the opening of an IG demo account which gives you up to $100,000 in virtual credit. The demo account allows users to try out similar functions to what they would experience on a live account. For example, they can check the amount of margin they have used up for their trades, available funds they have, and their current profit or loss.

The demo account also allows users to try out different trading strategies, understand the various charts better and get themselves familiar with the instruments that they are trading. Ultimately, it makes sense to be comfortable in what you are trading first, before taking the next step to trade on a live account.

IG Academy  

Clients who are new to trading can (and should) try out the IG Academy. The IG Academy consists of two main components. The first is its online trading courses. With eight different courses comprising of various topics ranging from basic courses such as Introducing the financial markets, to more advanced courses like Understanding risk and reward, these courses are designed to help new traders understand key financial concepts and theories that are needed for them to be successful in their trades.

Besides the online trading courses, there are also Live sessions hosted daily. These are trading webinars conducted by both IG market analysts as well as experts from DailyFX.

As you can see, this schedule is quite similar to what you would expect to see on a sports channel guide, with the key difference being that the topics here are purely trading-related.

Café-Styled Pantry

We ventured deeper into the office and was fortunate to find exactly what we needed – coffee!

As it was right after lunch, the pantry was pretty quiet. We took a chance to recharge ourselves with a quick cup of coffee, before moving on.

Seminar Area

Since IG organises multiple courses and talks each week, it made sense that we’d eventually come across a stylist but functional seminar area within the office.

On an average week, IG typically hosts about three trading related talks at its seminar area for clients. Beyond that, there are also fortnightly tutorial sessions for clients to be better acquainted to the IG platform.

Though the seminar area was empty when we were there in the afternoon, we decided to pop by later that evening for a cryptocurrency talk conducted by an external speaker exclusively for IG clients.

Read Also: A Layman Explanation On What To Know Before Trading Cryptocurrencies Like Bitcoin & Ethereum

Occasionally, they also host fun and interesting events such as Beer Pong competition which are also opened to the public to commemorate their 10th year anniversary.

If you are keen to learn the ropes and start trading, be it stocks, forex, indices, commodities or even cryptocurrencies, you will need to open a trading account that provides you with access to the various markets that you wish to trade in.

IG is one brokerage firm that you can consider opening an account with. With over 185,000 clients worldwide, and access to trade over 15,000 markets, it’s likely that you will be able to find the market that you are looking for.

To find out more about trading, you can also refer to our Beginners’s Guide: How To Start Trading In Singapore.

Read Also: 7 Important Factors To Consider When Opening Your First Trading Account

This article was sponsored by IG, the world’s No.1 CFD provider (by revenue excluding FX, 2016). All views, opinions and recommendations expressed in the article are the independent opinion of DollarsAndSense.sg and do not in any way reflect the views, opinions, endorsements or recommendations, of IG Asia Pte Ltd (Co. Reg. No. 20051002K) (“IG”). Information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute any form of investment advice nor an offer or solicitation to invest in any financial instrument. No responsibility is accepted by IG for any loss or damage arising in any way (including due to negligence) from anyone acting or refraining from acting as a result of this information or material.

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