Saxo
Category Scores
Available Regions
Trading Costs
Asset Coverage
Saxo offers exceptionally broad futures coverage for a multi-asset broker, with more than 250 contracts across 25+ exchanges covering U.S. and European equity indices, energy, metals, currencies, interest rates and selected agricultural markets. Micro and E-mini contracts add flexibility in position sizing, although they do not remove leverage risk. Saxo also offers CFDs, which are not the same as exchange-listed futures with defined expirations and settlement procedures, and contract availability depends on the entity and account permissions.
Focus: Exchange-listed futures, with more than 250 contracts across 25+ exchanges, within a multi-asset account
Market categories
- U.S. equity indices
- E-mini S&P 500, Micro E-mini S&P 500, Nasdaq-100 and related index contracts
- European equity indices
- FTSE 100, DAX, Euro STOXX 50 and other supported indices
- Energy
- Brent Crude, WTI crude oil, natural gas and related contracts
- Metals
- Gold, silver, platinum and other supported metals
- Currencies
- EUR/USD, GBP/USD and other listed currency futures
- Interest rates
- U.S. Treasury Note futures, Euro-BUND and Euro-BOBL
- Agriculture
- Selected grain and agricultural futures, subject to availability
- Micro and E-mini contracts
- Smaller-sized alternatives on selected index, energy and other markets
Product support
- Micro contractsYes
- Stocks & ETFsYes
Highlights
- More than 250 futures contracts across 25+ exchanges
- Major U.S. and European index futures
- Energy and metals contracts
- Currency and interest-rate futures
- Micro and E-mini contracts on selected markets
- Broad coverage for traders managing several global markets
- Product access depends on account eligibility and permissions
More than 250 futures contracts across 25+ exchanges are advertised, and the exact list depends on the Saxo entity, product permissions and live contract availability.
Advertised exchange coverage does not mean every listed contract is tradable by every customer, so the instrument search and contract specifications should be checked for the relevant account.
Trading Conditions & Tools
Trading conditions
- Score
- 8.5
- Minimum Deposit Usd
- 0
- Minimum Deposit Note
- Saxo requires no minimum funding for individual trading accounts in most serviced countries, and local exceptions may apply, but futures require initial margin, so traders need sufficient capital to open a position and withstand adverse price movements and margin changes.
- Margin Note
- Margin depends on the contract, exchange, market volatility and Saxo's applicable margin policy, so current requirements should be checked for the exact contract rather than estimated from another broker or a historical figure.
- Maintenance Margin Requirement
- Initial margin is required to open a position and sufficient account equity is needed to maintain it, with requirements varying by contract.
- Forced Liquidation
- Yes
- Summary
- Saxo offers exchange-listed futures with standardized contract specifications, margin requirements, expiry dates and settlement rules, which is a meaningful advantage over products that merely track futures prices through CFDs. Calendar-spread orders through a single ticket and risk tools such as stop-limit orders, trailing stops and cancel-all-orders controls add flexibility, although they do not guarantee protection against gaps. Saxo does not support physical delivery of deliverable futures, so affected positions must be closed before expiry or the First Notice Day, which Saxo may set earlier than the exchange, and unclosed positions may be closed by Saxo with additional charges.
- Highlights
- Standardized exchange-traded futuresContract-specific initial and maintenance marginsCalendar-spread order functionalityCarrying charges on positions held overnightPhysical delivery unavailable for deliverable contractsPosition deadlines may be earlier than the exchange's published datesContract-specific order availability and risk controls
Support & Account Opening
Customer support
- Score
- 8.3
- Channels
- PhoneLive chatEmailOnline self-service resources
- Availability
- Languages and operating hours depend on the servicing entity and country, with no universal 24/7 human support
- Educational Support Resources
- Platform tutorialsWritten educational materialsVideosWebinars
- Public Feedback
- Positive
- Fast live-chat responses in testing and email replies within approximately one business day
- Negative
- No universal 24/7 human customer service, with phone support generally tied to local business hours
- Summary
- Saxo offers support through phone, live chat, email and online self-service resources, with languages and operating hours depending on the servicing entity and country. Testing reported fast live-chat responses and email replies within approximately one business day, but Saxo does not provide universal 24/7 human support. This matters for futures traders because markets can trade outside the customer's local working day, so local support hours and the procedure for urgent issues should be confirmed before trading substantial positions.
- Highlights
- Phone, live chat, email, and self-service supportMultilingual assistance across several regional entitiesFast responses through live chat are reported in the supplied testingNo universal 24/7 human supportSupport hours depend on the servicing entity and local officeTraders should know the escalation process for urgent futures issues
Account opening
- Score
- 8.6
- Minimum Deposit Usd
- 0
- Minimum Deposit Note
- Saxo requires no minimum funding for individual trading accounts in most serviced countries, and local exceptions may apply, but clients must deposit enough to meet the initial margin requirement for their chosen futures contract before placing live trades.
- Fully Digital
- Yes
- Application Review Time
- Online application of around 10 to 15 minutes, with approval often within one business day
- Verification Required
- Yes
- Possible Delays
- Identity verification and documentationCountry and account eligibilityAppropriateness or product-knowledge assessment for futuresSeparate activation of market-data subscriptions
- Simulated Trading Available
- Yes
- Additional Steps Before Trading
- Enable the futures product in SaxoTrader under trading-product settingsComplete the appropriateness or product-knowledge test where applicableFund the account with enough to meet the initial margin requirementActivate real-time market-data subscriptions if needed
- Accessibility
- High
- Summary
- Saxo's account-opening process is digital and generally straightforward for eligible clients, with an online application taking around 10 to 15 minutes and approval often completing within one business day, depending on verification, country, documentation and account eligibility. No minimum funding is advertised, but futures are classified as complex products, so clients may need to enable the futures product in SaxoTrader and pass an appropriateness or product-knowledge test. Clients should also confirm the holding Saxo entity, contract availability, required margin, commission tier, market-data needs and physical-delivery deadlines before the first live trade.
- Highlights
- Digital account applicationNo minimum funding requirement advertised on the UK futures product pageFutures trading may require product-knowledge approvalMarket-data subscriptions may need to be activated separatelyCountry-specific account terms and protections applyThe minimum amount needed to trade depends on required margin
User Experience
Saxo's platform offers broad functionality with a relatively modern interface, and the web and mobile experience makes research, portfolio monitoring and trading accessible without requiring every user to adopt the advanced desktop tools. Futures require SaxoTrader rather than the simplified SaxoInvestor platform, and some users may find the menus and product categories difficult to navigate at first. The distinction between listed futures and CFDs, product-specific permissions and the need to monitor expiration dates also shape the experience, which is polished and powerful for experienced users but more complex for beginners who want a minimal interface.
Modern web and mobile environment with advanced SaxoTrader desktop functionality for futures
Things to manage separately
- Futures product permissions and product-knowledge test
- Market-data subscriptions
- Initial margin and margin changes
- Contract expiry and First Notice Day deadlines
- Overnight carrying costs
- Commission tier and servicing entity
Highlights
- Modern web and mobile trading environment
- Advanced desktop functionality for power users
- Same login can provide access to different Saxo platforms, subject to permissions
- Futures require SaxoTrader, not SaxoInvestor
- Menu structure and complex features may take time to learn
- Contract expiry and settlement rules require active monitoring
Trader Compatibility
Who It's For
Best for
- Experienced multi-market futures traders: Saxo's coverage across 25+ exchanges provides a broad range of markets to research and trade
- Technical-analysis traders: Advanced charts, more than 85 indicators, and chart-based execution are useful for discretionary trading
- Calendar-spread traders: The ability to place calendar-spread orders through a single ticket is a meaningful advantage
- Portfolio hedgers and diversified investors: Saxo combines futures with equities, bonds, currencies, options, and other investment products within its multi-asset ecosystem
Not recommended for
- High-turnover scalpers focused on minimum commissions: Standard fees of $3 per contract per trade, plus exchange charges, can add up quickly
- Traders who want physical delivery: Saxo requires affected contracts to be closed before the specified deadline
- Beginners seeking the simplest platform: Futures are not available through SaxoInvestor, and the full SaxoTrader interface includes numerous advanced functions
- Traders who routinely hold positions overnight without monitoring funding costs: Carrying charges must be included when planning a longer-duration futures strategy
Final Review
Saxo is one of the strongest multi-asset brokers for futures traders who value market breadth, research and a polished professional platform. Its global contract coverage, advanced trading software, research resources and the credibility of an established banking group suit experienced traders and investors who want to combine listed futures with a larger portfolio, while the main compromise is cost.
Saxo earns a high TraderZone rating for its futures offering because of its market breadth, advanced technology, research resources and regulatory credentials. The compromises are meaningful, including standard commissions of $3 per contract per trade on several popular contracts, additional exchange fees, overnight carrying costs, the absence of physical delivery for deliverable futures and the need to manage contract expiration carefully, but they do not outweigh its strengths for experienced traders and multi-asset investors. Traders whose primary objective is minimizing per-contract costs should compare its complete round-trip pricing with specialist futures brokers, and should verify trade-ticket pricing, margin requirements and the legal entity named in their account agreement before trading.
Trading carries risk. Review the broker’s current terms directly before opening an account. This page is informational and not financial advice.